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Originally posted by CitizenKnow
Hello, I am new to ATS and this is my first post. I just wanted to just share my experience of solitude.
Born In the early 80's and raised in Los Angeles I was of course apart of that generation that lived on a steady diet of television and Nintendo. I lived in a place where the roads were crowded, classrooms were crowded and stimuli of every kind continually vied for my attention.
I Cant say that I was particularly bothered by it or even really gave it much thought, I knew nothing else and the commonality of it made it all but invisible, and actually when it came to the entertainment aspect of it I would say i liked it.
Fast forward to the early 2000's. By this time i'm in my mid twenties and the novelty of the reckless abandonment I enjoyed in my late teens and early twenties was wearing thin. I had started to become more introspective, reading more and earnestly searching for more meaning in my life.
One evening I found myself at a party. I found a few of my friends hanging out in one of the back rooms chatting with a guy who had recently moved to town and who wound up living with one of our friends.
It turned out he was from Alaska and his family owned a business near Denali national park where he had also lived. For those of you who don't know this is located between Fairbanks and Anchorage and is literally in the middle of no where and was the setting for "Into The Wild". The conversation turned to wishing we could leave our home town for some sort of adventure. It was then that our new friend invited us to work the summer in Alaska.
So that summer myself and a few buddies made the trek up to Denali to work for our friends family during the tourist season. It was great! We got to hike, drink, meet cool travelers from all over the world, and when the season ended we were all gearing up to head back home to the lower 48.
However I was given the opportunity to stay on the property in the off season in one of the A frame cabins they rented to tourists. I was to perform the basic duties of keeping an eye out for squatters and to shovel and plow the endless piles of snow. It would be a 8 month stay in an area almost deserted during the off season.
Now to the relevant part of the story. As summer jumped straight into winter, I suddenly found my self living alone in a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness without a radio, internet, or television. It was me, a stack of books and a whole lot of time.
Almost immediately I panicked. I had that feeling prisoners must have when they hear the cell door shut behind them. That feeling of "what have I done" and an understanding that you're in it for the long haul.
The first few weeks continued to be filled with anxiety and I greatly struggled with the lack of external stimulation I was accustomed to. I just paced around allot. I tried to journal and read, but the silence was deafening. My thoughts raced and I felt extremely disoriented.
But as the weeks went on things began to change. My mind began to rest, the restlessness of the situation gave way to a feeling of peace I had never encountered, and I started to feel extremely aware. I felt as though a fog I didn't know was there had lifted, and my sense of self and of my environment took on a new dimension.
I read and understood in a way i couldn't before. Every word was extremely vivid and often accompanied by strong visualization of the material. I wrote with a clarity and originality i had never experienced, venturing into areas of thought completely new to me and I just felt as if every sense was heightened. I, in a strange way, felt clean. It was an experience that has continued to shape my life to this day.
I know your thread is asking about the supernatural component to solitude and all I can really say to that is there were indeed some other worldly things i did experience. I did not have contact with ghosts or aliens or anything like that, but I did encounter for a lack of a better word "voices'.
The Voice I encountered wasn't audible I don't think, but It felt as though it did come from outside myself. I felt comforted by it and I felt that it would direct my attention to things that really moved or enlightened me in some way. what I encountered that winter would eventually set me on my current path of being an artist and writer focusing on perception and cognitive states.
So that's my story of isolation. I am not a monk or particularly pious, but for me there was absolutely something bordering on mystical that i encountered in the silence.
Originally posted by FreshAirGirl
Had to laugh at your theory. Best kept that way. I live in a very isolated area in BC on top of a mountain. Go to town maybe twice a month. Have lived here for 13 years. I am a women. I am 49 years old. Why would ghosts or aliens or anything for that matter think that a quiet life makes me any different from you or the next person. I'm not any different from anybody else. Not extraordinary in any way. I just enjoy the peace and quiet. I hate the big city. I visit my family a couple times a year in Calgary. Everybody is in a hurry to get everywhere. The faster they go it seems the more they spin their wheels all for not. People need to take it down a notch. Their so busy doing nothing and buying stuff that they have forgotten what it is that really gives us literally life and our existance. THIS PLANET. She needs to be observed and appreciated more. As far as Aliens. Its dark at night. Pitch black so ya you get to observe the night sky unobstructed without all the background light of the city. Beautiful. I see as many UFO"S as the next person who's actually making a point of keeping watch for them. Sadly most people do not know how to live like this or alone by choice. Society has created co dependence on everything and each other. Most people are very uncomfortable being alone and would not last long. I have dogs and horses. They are much better company than most people. People these days are so out of touch with the REAL WORLD their hardly even human.
Originally posted by TheBlackHat
reply to post by Rudy2shoes
Well that is one thing I can understand...I would think one of the only ways to keep a marriage together these days..would indeed to be very far removed from society...I mean there is nobody you can cheat with then..haha...
Seriously though when two people rely on each other for companionship is does form a very strong bond...so I like the idea of being married out in the wilderness...Good for you.
Originally posted by TheBlackHat
reply to post by Rudy2shoes
Well that is one thing I can understand...I would think one of the only ways to keep a marriage together these days..would indeed to be very far removed from society...I mean there is nobody you can cheat with then..haha...
did you forget about that squaw root. Conopholis americanaedit on 29-10-2012 by rickymouse because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by bangoli
reply to post by TheBlackHat
The flipside to this is that it's very easy to conduct evil and nefarious activities , esp. if you have the cooperation of whatever local law enforcement exists.
Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by 8311-XHT
If someone does that, I would say they are an idiot. If they vanish, it's probably not aliens. It could be wolves, coyotes, bears, and a host of other creatures that live in the woods, maybe even bigfoot
Originally posted by nottelling
I wouldn't classify it as a "long time" since it's weeks rather than months or years, but a couple of times a year I'll head off for solo hiking trips. I have only ever had one "experience" on a solo trip - I believe this was paranormal in origin since I'm the scariest thing out there in the Australian bush, but I have had two UFO sightings years back while camping. Both UFO events had multiple witnesses.
Great thread.
Originally posted by FreshAirGirl
Had to laugh at your theory. Best kept that way. I live in a very isolated area in BC on top of a mountain. Go to town maybe twice a month. Have lived here for 13 years. I am a women. I am 49 years old. Why would ghosts or aliens or anything for that matter think that a quiet life makes me any different from you or the next person. I'm not any different from anybody else. Not extraordinary in any way. I just enjoy the peace and quiet. I hate the big city. I visit my family a couple times a year in Calgary. Everybody is in a hurry to get everywhere. The faster they go it seems the more they spin their wheels all for not. People need to take it down a notch. Their so busy doing nothing and buying stuff that they have forgotten what it is that really gives us literally life and our existance. THIS PLANET. She needs to be observed and appreciated more. As far as Aliens. Its dark at night. Pitch black so ya you get to observe the night sky unobstructed without all the background light of the city. Beautiful. I see as many UFO"S as the next person who's actually making a point of keeping watch for them. Sadly most people do not know how to live like this or alone by choice. Society has created co dependence on everything and each other. Most people are very uncomfortable being alone and would not last long. I have dogs and horses. They are much better company than most people. People these days are so out of touch with the REAL WORLD their hardly even human.