Sol·i·tude

   [sol-i-tood, -tyood] 

Noun

1.

The state of being or living alone; seclusion: to enjoy one's solitude.

2.

Remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity: the solitude of the mountains.

3.

A lonely, unfrequented place: solitude in the mountains.

Synonyms; Retirement, privacy. Solitude, isolation refer to a state of being or living 

alone. Solitude emphasizes the quality ofbeing or feeling lonely and deserted: to live in solitude. Isolationmay mean merely a detachment and separation from others: to beput 

in isolation with an infectious disease. 2. Loneliness. 3. Desert, wilderness.

Matthew 6:1-34 

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ..

“Of course, enforced solitude is a bad thing, even a form of torture. So be careful of too much solitude, and turning in on yourself. This is perhaps why religious hermits tend to live in clusters, 'alone together'; keeping their eyes looking out towards the community, as opposed to pure introspection, avoids madness.”

Solitude is prescribed by contemplatives because it removes social anxieties. In society, we experience vast amounts of interactions which hold much significance to us, and we're constantly receiving behavioural checks and balances. We become classically conditioned to the social environment, and the intellectual climate of that environment, with all of the taboos, and accepted norms. We also get used to only thinking in prescribed ways, and adhering to our prescribed limitations. 

Solitude brings us from this, and our behaviour, and thoughts become less, and less intentional, and less and less directed. As a result, an enhanced sense of individuality develops, and a gulf between your checked social behaviour, and your natural unpremeditated behaviour becomes more and more apparent. This creates a sense of untruthfulness about social behaviour, a sense of playing a part. 

SOLITUDE

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain