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Comment by mikestew | Hacker News Reader

That's pretty insightful. What I hear you saying, and I agree with what I hear, is that some look at alone time as a means of accomplishing a goal (freedom, et. al.) rather than pursing the solitary activity. Contrast that with myself (and I gather you as well) where I pursue a solitary activity for the sake of the activity, and the solitude is a side effect.

When I'm riding a motorcycle to a far away destination or running a trail on some mountain, I'm doing it to ride a motorcycle or to go for a run. I don't mind being alone, most likely even enjoy it, but that's not what I'm out there for. The exception could be sitting on a meditation cushion, but to me aloneness (EDIT: in the case of meditation) is more of a requirement than a goal.

With all that said, I do have a teensy nit to pick with the title: alone != lonely. Sometimes the two intersect, but not as a rule.

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As a raging introvert who is also a bit of an extrovert at times - yes and no.

Sometimes I take up a solitary activity that I don't enjoy quite that much just for the sake of being alone. Going for a run in the morning somehow feels less weird than just sitting in my room staring at the wall. It also gets me away from the internet.

Now I could just be alone and away from the internet. But the mind is hyperactive and it craves distraction. That's when you have to trick it into accepting aloneness and nointernetness by giving it something better to do. Or simply forcing it to accept its fate.

> Going for a run in the morning somehow feels less weird than just sitting in my room staring at the wall.

It's all about branding. In most settings, yeah, it'd be labelled as weird. But if we call "sitting and staring at the wall" something like "meditation" it becomes all cool and esoteric. :-) (I say this as one who spends at least 30 minutes a day sitting and staring at a wall.)

Point taken, though. I guess I have enough solitary activities that I regularly partake in that I never gave thought to those that might need to actively seek out such activities.

> I guess I have enough solitary activities that I regularly partake in that I never gave thought to those that might need to actively seek out such activities.

I actually have to remind myself to partake in activities that involve other people (unless I'm currently working for a client on site). The bigger issue is true aloneness without that pesky internet. It's a powerful addiction.

Honestly, I feel more alone when I'm in the gym actively boxing with people than I do sitting at home where I can't help but check my messages ever couple of minutes.

In some circles, meditation is still viewed as weird.

But your comparison is curious. Indeed, to a external observer, a person looking at the wall and another doing meditation may look very alike, but what they are doing is the exact opposite of one another.

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