A friend of mine sent me this today. It’s been working on me ever since I read it:
Solitude is something quite different from individualism. In individualism there is a large measure of withdrawal at the level of thoughts and interests, in order to ensure a life of quiet privacy. Others may come and knock on the door, but if the individualist opens to them, it is as one who does a favor, as one who graciously adds, so to speak, a community aspect to a Christian life that is self-sufficient without it.
The experience of solitude, on the other hand, gives rise to a hunger for communion. There is an aloneness with oneself and with God that, however hard it may be to endure at certain times, is a requirement for authentic community.
Source: We Drink From Our Own Wells.
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