Before we can truly be with others, we must first learn how to be alone.

It is a great misfortune to lose the capacity to be alone with oneself. In the morning, nature may speak to the imagination as it never does when we are in company. Freedom entails more than the human capacity to act spontaneously and creatively in public; it also entails the capacity to think and judge in private. It is in solitude that the individual gains the power to reflect on her actions and escape the cacophony of the crowd.

A person who does not know this silent inner dialogue will not mind contradicting herself, and this means she will never be able—or willing—to take responsibility for what she says or does. It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong. A society can work freely and democratically only if it is made up of individuals engaged in thinking activities.

But what if being alone turns into isolation? Is there not some danger when we separate ourselves from pleasure and friendship? Here, it is important to understand the difference between being alone and loneliness. In solitude, the soundless dialogue that the soul holds with itself becomes audible.

Solitude is a condition in which I keep myself company. In fact, in solitude, you are never truly alone—your inner self is with you, speaking to you, questioning you, and continuing the conversation. In today’s era, we crave constant companionship. In this hyper-connected world, where we can communicate with anyone at any moment, we check our social media hundreds of times a day. Yet, if we lose our capacity for solitude—our ability to be alone with ourselves—we lose our ability to think.

Without solitude, we struggle to distinguish between right and wrong. Solitude is not only a state of mind essential for the development of individual consciousness; it is also a practice that prepares us for participation in social and political life. Before we can keep company with others, we must first learn how to keep company with ourselves.