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O, Sweet Solitude
Do you struggle with being alone?
“What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.” (Ellen Burstyn)
In his book Borstal Boy, Brendan Behan gives a stark indication of how unpleasant enforced solitude can be for some. Alone in his cell inside Liverpool’s Walton Jail, Behan hears activity outside; keys jangling and doors being banged shut. He hopes someone will come into his own cell, stating;
“Even if they were distributing nothing better than kicks or thumps, I’d prefer not to be left out, in my cold shroud of solitude. Fighting is better than loneliness.”
I witnessed a similar dread of solitude at first hand several years ago, when I worked in a local bar. A customer, George by name, entered one evening in a state of some agitation. He ordered a beer, and as I poured it he told me that being home alone was driving him up the wall and he felt pressed to seek out company. I glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed ten past six. “But,” I said, “if you were at work today, then surely you’ve only been home for an hour or so.”
“I know,” he said, mournfully.
A few weeks after that exchange, Covid 19 struck and the government announced its lockdown regulations, one of which was the immediate closure of all bars. During that period of restriction, I sometimes…
