tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post5794074659964655432..comments2023-12-30T17:31:11.883+00:00Comments on The Solitary Walker: Social PassionsThe Solitary Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-52474132600792419352009-01-05T09:15:00.000+00:002009-01-05T09:15:00.000+00:00Thamks, Val, for dropping by, and I'm glad you enj...Thamks, Val, for dropping by, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading this. I agree - some of those comments are quality stuff!The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-16491320625888944082009-01-04T22:13:00.000+00:002009-01-04T22:13:00.000+00:00I really enjoyed your post as well as the comments...I really enjoyed your post as well as the comments from your readers!Valhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01566477778406400875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-71232643689474609862009-01-03T21:45:00.000+00:002009-01-03T21:45:00.000+00:00So many thanks to everyone for all these comments,...So many thanks to everyone for all these comments, poems and philosophies.<BR/><BR/>"They can be themselves... and graciously so". I like that. We have all met such people. I met some on the Camino. I would like to aspire to this!<BR/><BR/>Am, your comment resonated strongly with me. I have been alone "in nature" miles and miles from anywhere - and had similar feeings of despair and alienation.<BR/><BR/>Then again, I have sometimes, but rarely, also had almost mystical feelings of ecstasy.<BR/><BR/>But usually it's just a lazy, comfortable enjoyment - interspersed with twinges of foot pain, hunger and thirst! Such are our human weaknesses/necessities!The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-85878560764194124302009-01-03T20:29:00.000+00:002009-01-03T20:29:00.000+00:00Interesting, and I agree with your comment that 't...Interesting, and I agree with your comment that 'the most independent ... of people ... can often be the most sociable and companionable of people'.<BR/><BR/>Maybe this is because they have attained that inner 'field independence', so that wherever they are, whoever they are with, they can be themselves - and graciously so.Raph G. Neckmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468502742144495020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-8509865231157504262009-01-03T17:26:00.000+00:002009-01-03T17:26:00.000+00:00Thanks so much for this post, solitary walker! I'v...Thanks so much for this post, solitary walker! I've been alone but not lonely for a long long time, and yet there have been times when I have been unable to detach myself from the "social passions" of my life. <BR/><BR/>One of those times, I was on a solo trip through Washington, Oregon and into Northern California and was eager to be walking in the Redwood forest near the Eel River in Humboldt County. What a painful day that was when, while walking on the trails surrounded by immense trees that are sacred to me, I felt only the darkest despair. Then again, what better place to be with that despair?amhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212213177713917828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-83330770224259161352009-01-03T16:45:00.000+00:002009-01-03T16:45:00.000+00:00You are indeed right, the "lone wolves" of society...You are indeed right, the "lone wolves" of society are almost always companionable, a joy to have in a crowd, and the one you want, should you be capable of earning their trust, for a friend.Grizz…………https://www.blogger.com/profile/04828454689578685330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-21279125981965020722009-01-03T16:40:00.000+00:002009-01-03T16:40:00.000+00:00inspired by this post and conversation:___________...inspired by this post and conversation:<BR/><BR/>____________________<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>we spotted her just up ahead<BR/>they said<BR/>she was going over that ridge<BR/>where the birches all stand like<BR/>a mystical fence- she was just there<BR/>winding her way-<BR/>we saw this,<BR/>none of the bramble that<BR/>caught us up, was catching on her<BR/><BR/>was she alone? we asked<BR/>saw no other- the reply<BR/>how did you know it was her?<BR/>the forest seemed to know<BR/>they said<BR/><BR/>at the hermit shack<BR/>we inquired again<BR/>just through those pines<BR/>Ive seen<BR/><BR/>was she alone? we asked<BR/>I dont think so- the reply<BR/>who was with her?<BR/>the entire world<BR/>how do you know this?<BR/>he said,<BR/>I saw it<BR/>there was nothing<BR/>that could catch on her<BR/><BR/>at the base of the next ridge<BR/>the water ran cool and swift<BR/>spring thaws seeing to the health<BR/>of these woods<BR/>along towards the bend<BR/>where the path parted way<BR/>we saw it<BR/>the eddies and snags<BR/>were there just to prove<BR/>as she glided down the quick<BR/>and slid into the deeper greens<BR/>beyond us<BR/>we were caught by the beauty<BR/>she left<BR/><BR/></I>Tom (Mystics Meeting)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02106304861509275285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-70044827729248990552009-01-03T16:04:00.000+00:002009-01-03T16:04:00.000+00:00Well, I agree with you absolutely, Grizzled. 100 p...Well, I agree with you absolutely, Grizzled. 100 per cent. You can be alone but not lonely. Similarly you can be lonely in a crowd of people.<BR/><BR/>I have found in my wanderings another interesting paradox: that the most independent, self-contained, self-reliant of people - those who positively relish solitude - can often be the most sociable and companionable of people.<BR/><BR/>I enjoyed a near-perfect mix of necessary solitude and occasional, rewarding companionship on my Camino journeys.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-50837745666514144562009-01-03T14:56:00.000+00:002009-01-03T14:56:00.000+00:00Too many, I think, confuse solitary with lonely. T...Too many, I think, confuse solitary with lonely. To be alone is not always to be lonely; solitude, giving time to yourself, having the freedom to shed the veneer of society and convention, to momentarily set aside friendship, love, responsibility, worry, schedule—all those things which pull our lives and days hither and yon—is not only a great relief, but a human necessity. <BR/><BR/>You simply can’t do this in a city. But the natural world—whether back-of-beyond wilderness, or a few yards off the park path—can give you back something which your soul needs, but which is ours alone, an individual replenishment, hidden and unavailable unless we’re solo.Grizz…………https://www.blogger.com/profile/04828454689578685330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-15193398938248516562009-01-03T12:56:00.000+00:002009-01-03T12:56:00.000+00:00yes, and we suddenly drop our masks and show our g...yes, and we suddenly drop our masks and show our genuine face to the treesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com