Publication Date

4-16-2024

School

School of Divinity

Major

Religion: Church Ministries

Keywords

Silence and Solitude, Religion, Loneliness, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Humanism

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Silence and solitude as a spiritual discipline is seen across many different worldviews including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Humanism, and can be exercised alongside disciplines like prayer, meditation, and mindfulness. Each worldview has a unique purpose in why silence and solitude is practiced such as to commune with God, to prepare one’s heart for times of prayer, to avoid suffering, to experience revelations, and to find peace in an anxious world. Loneliness stems from unmet expectations of social interactions that lead to aversion in one’s current relationships and within themselves. Understanding the purpose of silence and solitude leads to the result of how, when practiced outside of its intended goal, the discipline can lead to loneliness.

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