Solitude and Noise

A Stoic Reflection on the power of solitude and the need to embrace silence.

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." — Blaise Pascal

Your phone buzzes. Again.

Another notification. Another message. Another demand for your attention.

You grab it, almost instinctively. Like a starving man reaching for food. Scroll, double-tap, reply, repeat. The endless dance of digital dopamine.

When was the last time you sat with yourself? Not your Instagram self. Not your LinkedIn self. Not the carefully curated character you play for others.

Just you.

"There is nothing the busy man is less busied with than living; there is nothing harder to learn." — Seneca

We fill every crack of silence with noise. Podcasts in our ears. Videos on our screens. Notifications in our pockets. Music in our homes.

Like water flowing into every empty space, noise floods every quiet moment.

We're not just busy. We're busy being busy. We're busy avoiding ourselves.

Look around. Watch people when their phones die. See the panic in their eyes when forced to sit with their thoughts. The fidgeting. The discomfort. The desperate search for distraction.

We've forgotten how to be alone.