BY BORDI JAEN
WE ALL know Bill Gates, the billionaire, philanthropist and founder of Microsoft. What not many know about Bill Gates are his habits.
One particular habit that Bill Gates has is his “Think Week”. Twice every year, for one week, Bill Gates travels to a remote cabin in the woods to do nothing but read papers of project pitches by Microsoft employees, as well as to think and let his mind relax.
Bill Gates swears by this habit, which he has done since the 1980s, that helped him shape Microsoft into the tech powerhouse that it is today.
While not all of us have remote cabins in forests, more so have one week to take off just for reading and thinking, there is something important we can glean from this, especially in this time of mandated quarantine, and that is that we need to give time for ourselves to be immersed in solitude.
However, don’t confuse solitude with being alone or loneliness. While solitude does mean having some alone time (which most of us probably have a lot of during quarantine), I would say solitude isn’t really being alone, but rather, spending time with yourself and only yourself.
What usually prevents people from being with themselves is the distraction of the mind. The kind of distraction acquired from television or smartphones. Don’t get me wrong, though. The smartphone is a ground-breaking piece of technology but like all other inventions, it requires a sense of prudent usage.
How does using a smartphone prevent people from being in solitude? Think of it like this, if you’re in a party, is it possible for you to have a fruitful conversation with the people at your table while playing CODM or ML?
Just like in this scenario, we cannot have a fruitful conversation with ourselves when we immerse ourselves in distractions all the time. You can only enjoy your own company when you allow yourself to be free of distraction.
What are the benefits of being in solitude?
First and foremost, it is generally agreed that the greatest benefit of solitude is that it enhances creativity. When we are with ourselves, we let our mind wander. Think of a period of solitude as a form of meditation, like taking a bath or washing the dishes. We let our minds relax and be at peace. It does many wonderful things for us. As what J.R.R. Tolkien said, “Not all those who wander are lost.”
Solitude allows us to get to know ourselves better and fosters self-development. Humans are pensive creatures. We constantly think about ourselves and our relations with other people.
Solitude gives us the time to reflect on our past and think about the future. If life is a journey, solitude is that time we give ourselves to stop and reflect on the journey so far. What have we done? What have we created? How can I make my journey a more pleasant one? What have I learned so far?
You might be wondering why the mind works like this. Well, the only person you’re talking to is you! When you’re with your thoughts, it’s like making kamusta to yourself.
Does a person necessarily need to be alone in the deep forests to think with themselves?
No.
To be in solitude is to be with one’s thoughts. It can be having a reading session, admiring and being with your plants (like the many plantitos and plantitas that quarantine created), or my personal favorite of going for a walk.
It’s rather funny because we humans like to be liked. We like to be with people. As a social species, we like to make friends or acquaintances with others. Rarely, however, do we make a friend of ourselves.
In the ever expanding and ever turbulent world, it feels like almost nothing will remain constant. In the journey of our lives, nothing seems permanent. Like a never-ending sightseeing trip, things constantly change. Our perception of the world changes, even our friends and families aren’t permanent on Earth.
But the weary traveller seems to have forgotten the one thing that remains constant in every journey – the traveller himself.
There is no journey without the traveller, after all./PN
