When I was in school a teacher asked,"What would you like to be when you grow up?"I said,"A hermit."The teacher responded,"I don't think you understand the question".To which I answered,"I don't think you understand hermits".
I'm not a hermit. I think I could be. A sociable hermit, if such a thing exists.
I have lots of questions.
Can one be a hermit with someone else? Because I really like Linda. She's kind of a hermit, too.
If two hermits come together, do they cease to be hermits? If so, what are they then?
Is "hermit community" an oxymoron?
How would hermits unite and change the world?
Can one sort of be a hermit, or is that like sort of being pregnant?
Is there a hermit registry or association, or do you just wing it on your own?
Were Herman's Hermits really hermits, or was that just a marketing thing?
Are more people than ever becoming hermits due to the unliveability of modern society, and if so, how would we tell?
Perhaps some time spent in solitude in a cabin in the woods would help provide some answers to those and many other questions.
I would be willing to give it a try.
“Progress isn't achieved by preachers or guardians of morality, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels and sceptics”
―
The quote by Fry is so correct - creativity is from the margins, you have have to see human society as created fluid thing rather than fact to free your mind. You could be a hermit as it is only a religious/social system that offers classification, but it doesn't really matter. I watched Leave No Trace last night which is a brilliant and beautiful film, I know that I have some of this drive in me too, due to post traumatic stress from being from a inner city area with high levels of exposure to gang violence during my teenage years, but it's more manageable now and regular long walks in nature have helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have strong preference for a quiet and simple life, generally avoiding social occasions if possible while being married to a woman who isn't bothered about me not being social and needing time away. I meet people who also join me on walks from work, my children on occasion and other places. I'm professionally successful, but need space to be creative.
BW
Alex
Nature is the cure.
DeleteSome people need more space than others. I find physical and mental clutter to be taxing, and the only way I can do what I need to do is to manage those closely. Simplicity and minimalism help me focus on what is most important in my life.
It is all "fluid", isn't it? Society, the self, reality, matter, all of it. The best way humans have devised to deal with this is by going within. That requires time without interruptions. Interruptions and distractions are the destroyer of creativity, and therefore enlightenment, too.
Gregg
Awww! Herman’s Hermits. You just transported me back to another era. I was thinking that it was such a wonderful time (met the man of my dreams in 1970 and he’s still mine) until I remembered the Viet Nam war was raging and one of my classmates died over there, in his sleep - shorthand for drug overdose. Everyone was feeling so hopeless as the war dragged on and the list of the dead grew by leaps and bounds. Helpless, used by a government we were forced to pay for, but didn’t allow any American a say in anything. Nothing has changed. Now we’re seemingly sending boots on the ground to Ukraine after being assured this would not happen. Same old same old. I fear no one will even have the choice to become a hermit now because big brother can’t follow you if you’re off the grid. Creepy times Gregg. Stay strong and keep blogging. Your positive attitude is a breath of fresh air. Peace ☮️ Deva.
DeleteI was in upper elementary school in Eugene, Oregon in the 70s. Even as a young lad it was hard to ignore the feeling in town and on the U of O campus during the war. Sometimes things would blow up, and protests were common. It many other ways, it was a wonderful time, and that is how I like to remember my time in Eugene. It changed my life.
DeleteAnd the bullshit now? Creepy times indeed.
Finally, thanks, Deva. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated.
- Gregg