Solitude

Kull, Robert. Solitude. Seeking wisdom in extremes. New World Library. 2008.
R.K.- has spent years wandering in North and South America. Began undergraduate studies at age 40 and holds a PhD from U.B.C.
Comment. Henry.
What I have read about solitude has primarily been in the writings of Catholic writers and has usually been associated with some form of monastic living. Even though I found this book in the ‘religion’ section of the library it takes a totally different approach to solitude.
Bob grew up in Ventura, California. His father was an evangelical, fundamentalist Baptist. His mother did not share her husband’s religious views. Bob left home at age 16 with intentions to have nothing to do with his observed Christianity. His religious identification would be Buddhist. He was by disposition a loner.
He earned his PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies on the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects of deep wilderness solitude. His dissertation was given the highest possible mark. Some consider it ‘narcissistic drivel’. One of his academic supervisors had this response. “Congratulations! Singlehandedly you are destroying the value of every PhD that has ever been or ever will be awarded by UBC.” (315)
Starting in Feb. 2001 Bob spent a year on a remote island off the coast of southern Chile to experience and report on solitude. That report was based on material that was recorded in a daily journal. Interspersed in the daily entrees were monthly and bimonthly ‘interludes’ where he would talk about his personal ‘spiritual’ journey. “To investigate solitude, my method is mindful observation layered with analytic introspection, while recording my observations and ruminations in a daily journal.” (77) Meditation was a heavy ingredient in his investigation. It had a strong Buddhist/ New Age focus.
Bob talks about “his own hybrid Buddhist/ Christian/ naturalist idiom”. (127) I see very little Christian in his actual process. He claimed to have a balance between being a “physical adventurer and a spiritual seeker”. (130) There is a danger in solitude of our persona unravelling. When that happens we have three choices; “embrace it, avoid it, or go mad”. (131)
It took a fairly high level of self-discipline for me to actually finish my reading of this resource when I realized where it was going. During my teaching career I always welcomed opportunities to ‘observe’ other teachers. It was always a learning experience. I would pick up ideas for doing it better and sometimes benefit from mistakes that I wanted to avoid. I am discovering a parallel in my reading ‘hobby’.