Salutations to all fans! (Critics welcomed too)
Anyone can give you some food for thought, so why not a banquet? This is what this site is about. I am Mia-Vivienne (Mee-ah Vee-Vee-n) and I will be adding some dishes along with a femme's perspective. My first post, this one, is about being comfortable in solitude.
Lonely: solitary or isolated;unhappy at being alone.
Solitude: A being solitary, or alone; seclusion.
I live in a culture where it's frightening to be alone. "I" must always equal "we" and everything must become a social event. I am able to ignite a conversation with many because of my casual, often nonchalant, demeanor and manners, therefore, I am not afraid to enter a typically social environment alone. I enjoy a festivity if the company's good, however, I not only enjoy solitude, I need it. when I am alone, I am able to hear myself think; really think. I wonder why people are terrified at having to entertain themselves with...themselves. Perhaps because they're not used to it, maybe it's because this society does not encourage it, but it could also be that they are scared of what they will find. What if you don't like yourself, once you realize who you are?
The internationally respected and quirky poet Marianne Moore has said "solitude is the cure for loneliness." The obvious answer to 'cure' loneliness is to find someone, anyone who will fill that void. Why are we so unhappy with being alone? What's so frightening about it? If my theory holds true, and we truly are scared at discovering who we are, how can we find a better-suiting answer in someone else? To know how to deal with the people in your life, you must first learn to deal with yourself. Knowing yourself will only enrich your life and fortify your relationships. Ideally, that's what we want, correct?
Although I have done 'social' things alone ( movies, restaurant , run etc..) I have yet to travel alone. This April, I will be traveling to a foreign country (Jamaica) by myself. I will be completely alone because I don't have any friends or even distant, annoying relatives in this island-nation to stay with. The thought excites me, because it's an adventure, that hopefully won't bring forth disastrous results. After all, I've seen 'Turistas', and the 'Hostel' films to ignite my imagination on what COULD go wrong.
At the risk of sounding callous, though I am aware that this next sentence will do just that- most of these tragedies that we see in movies and hear in news happen after a victim makes a stupid decision. Life is not like an eternal, sex-and-the-city-type of party, we have to make good choices for ourselves because we're the ones who pay for them. I believe that this could be an underlying reason why people won't do things like travel alone. Though we can't live our lives in terror of the next possible threat outside our doors, I believe that we should (safely) embrace as many adventures as we can. I would like to be my own source of entertainment for the brief time I'll be gone. I have been known to shock the good people in my reality, but this is a bit out there, even for moi.
