The Phobia Post: Fear of Solitude

It is possible to fear solitude. But of its many forms, I only fear the kind that goes unnoticed, the one you cannot share with other people. Photography, with its end goal of being seen, helps ease this kind of solitude.

The French author Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac wrote: “Solitude is certainly a fine thing; but there is pleasure in having someone who can answer, from time to time, that it is a fine thing.”

In the two photos above you can see two people in complete solitude. Is it a true and sad solitude or a moment of isolation deliberately desired by these people, to think or to relax while admiring the beautiful lake? I love these pictures because they are full of this ambiguity.

Each of the pictures above shows someone waiting for another; in the last one the woman is glad to to see the person she was waiting for. For some people though, the wait is unsuccessful, never-ending. Just think of the many elderly, mentally disabled or homeless people left alone in big modern cities.

The images above show women observing the beautiful area surrounding my hometown Como, from the Renaissance villas to the boats that sail the dark waters of the lake. Three pleasant and peaceful moments of solitude.

In recent years, there was born another kind of solitude: People tend to isolate themselves from the world around them, immersed in a virtual reality even while outdoors. In the last photo you can see someone playing with his mobile phone while nearby two people play with the same device. No one is paying attention to the beautiful surrounding landscape!

There is also a creative solitude, like that of an unaccompanied tourist. I also bike around town by my lonesome, so I am particularly fond of the last photo in the series above.

I’m also an avid reader, and like these people I love to read alone outdoors in the summer.

Of course, when I go to the beautiful parks of my city, I am pleased to meet new people every day. I agree with what is written in these posters near my home in Italy: “L’amicizia come l’amore, due persone si incontrano e le loro vite si intrecciano.” (“Friendship is like love, two people meet and their lives intertwine.”)

I know there is only antidote to the bad solitude: meet new people every day, meet your friends, and love!

written by sirio174 on 2015-10-17 #lifestyle #tourist #reading #italy #fear #solitude #como #requested-post