I thought this article was interesting. Isolation is one of the common elements in most kinds of self-development practices, at least at certain stages. And, I think a lot of the people that are attracted to self-development are the introspective types, who are happy enough without being in the centers of groups, enough so that some of the ideas and descriptions in this article could be useful to most self-developers and practicioners.

I myself have been in the past very able to be “extroverted”, teaching classes and giving talks and speeches and whatnot. But, I’ve always been very comfortable with isolation, especially isolation while surrounded with nature, like when I’m just hanging out at my home in the country. I think I’m clearly a loner type - altho it’s easy enough to be “alone” when I’m alone with a wife as wonderful as Marisa. ;-}

It’s not at great article, by any stretch, it’s populist pablum really, but still interesting.

Here’s the article, from Psychology Today - Field Guide to the Loner: The Real Insiders - Loners are pitied in our up-with-people culture. But the introvert reaps secret joy from the solitary life.

“Loners often hear from well-meaning peers that they need to be more social, but the implication that they’re merely black-and-white opposites of their bubbly peers misses the point. Introverts aren’t just less sociable than extroverts; they also engage with the world in fundamentally different ways. While outgoing people savor the nuances of social interaction, loners tend to focus more on their own ideas—and on stimuli that don’t register in the minds of others.”

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