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The devil in the distractions

Solitude. In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World
Forfatter: Michael Harris
Forlag: Penguin (UK)
Solitude is at times an interesting reflection on the many qualities of loneliness, in a time when we are almost always associated with others. 




(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

When was the last time you were alone? such rigtig alone. Without people around you, and without all the virtual connections we are constantly in. How long did this lonely time last? A few hours, maybe even a full day?

We are no longer alone. Almost always we are in flocks, whether with people of flesh and blood or in the various editions on social media. We communicate endlessly through the luminous screens we have with us in public as well as private spaces. We share, comment, liker ours and all the lives of others in a great common mass where loneliness seems almost taboo. In every break that occurs, we fill something in. Waiting for the bus, for the light to soon turn to green, for the wife to leave the office; all those time slots that could actually be empty are filled with some kind of content.

So what's the problem with this lack of solitude? Multiple if you must believe Michael Harris, author of the at first glance deeply interesting book Solitude. In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World.

Technology's fault. Harris sets out to explore partly why we can no longer find out alone, and partly what we have lost without the loneliness – and thus can win if we find it. Solitude seems to be a hit against the technology. For a long time, as a reader, you have the impression that Harris, who of course is himself a major consumer of technology, hates it at the very heart and thinks it is the root of all evil: Social media constantly demands our attention. The small, adorable games on mobile phones reward our brain with a shot of dopamine and force us to play again and again because it feels so good. Apps like Google Maps and Yelp mean that we never get lost and can always plan our stay in the stranger so that it can feel familiar too. Even nature has been dressed as a game when Pokémon hunting becomes the intention to go out into the open, and when we can no longer just stare at a tree, but definitely have the feeling that we excellent, and full nothing. "Daydream Destroyers" Harris calls it in his anti-technological slander. Why so many pages go to designate technology as the big culprit, one wonders, and Harris's reasoning may seem a bit cheap at times. Like when he claims that using a GIF to communicate with us deprives us of a "personal style". Such a style may well be the opposite manifested by the special use of a GIF?

As the book progresses, however, several nuances emerge on the field. Harris explains that man has always had to relate to the inventions we have brought to the world, and thus had to adjust to new forms of life. Thus was Solitude also a disruptive form of technology, for reading is basically no natural activity for the brain – books are something we humans have had to learn to navigate.

One can more easily lock others into one's life if one has first fallen into it themselves.

Self-absorbed peace of mind. What can loneliness be like if we can now find it in our high-tech world? A jumble of good things, Harris concludes, among other things, on his tour of the scientific environments. The good ideas come when we are alone – when thoughts are allowed to roam freely. "Creativity and originality are the companions of loneliness," it says. Similarly, in solitude, a form of recharging of the body takes place. When we are alone and not to relate to others, we allow the body to recover more fundamentally.

In addition, self-insight comes. It may sound like an extremely selfish project to seek solitude, but in Harris' eyes, it's more about finding serenity and peace of mind (serenity) than about self-indulgence and "meekness." Out of solitude follows an inner calm that also benefits the collective; one can more easily lock others into one's life if one has first fallen into it himself.

Here and there, Harris interrupts his scientific focus with interpretations of his own attempts to find solitude. We hear about his little wanderings and his every hint of Thoracic disappearance into nature – but only for a week's time. These everyday considerations are often more interesting than the many technology attacks and admonitions about the value of solitude.

There is something a little too instrumental in thinking about Harris' attempt to "sell" solitude. Nor are you necessarily convinced by the author's logic when, for example, he says that if you are alone, you become more yourself.

Thought Stromme. The book never really feels as a whole – it is too flagrant and incoherent. For a long time, we need to hear about the many sins of technology, to then suddenly hear about what reading can accomplish, whether it occurs in solitude or in unison. Then we hear about why many young people today want to learn how to write love letters by hand or on old fashioned typewriters.

It's hard to figure out where Harris really wants to go. Maybe he only conveys his flighty thought streams, created in moments of loneliness – but in that case, the book is probably most interesting to Harris himself.

Steffen Moestrup
Steffen Moestrup
Regular contributor to MODERN TIMES, and docent at Denmark's Medie- og Journalisthøjskole.

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