The Power of Isolation

The Power of Isolation

Mario D' Couto

On looking at the title, it may give one a rather negative impression. In fact the very word 'isolation' carries a negative connotation with it. But there is always two sides to everything and thus, in as much as isolation can be perceived as a negative phenomenon, there is lots to learn from it. 

We must be clear about the fact that every great idea and dream must be established within one's self. There will come times when only you will believe it is going to happen. You can't delegate your thinking, dreaming or feeling to others. Thomas Edison once said, "The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil."

Don't belong so completely to others that you do not belong to yourself. Know how to get away and separate yourself. Big discoveries are the results of thought and the most fruitful thoughts are born when one is alone. 

This fact proves powerful even in our spiritual lives. Only when He had won the battle against Satan in the desert did Jesus embark on His  public ministry. Only after spending the night in prayer on the mountain did He choose His disciples. Only after the agony in Gethsemane did He face His passion with tranquility and courage. Mind you! All this was done alone!

Scientific research has also proven that insights are born when one is all alone by one's self in a quiet atmosphere. Sometimes, solutions to big problems come in quietness and stillness. There is value in isolation. Thus, while retreat to the 'desert' may seem like an escape, it is in fact a facing up to the real problems of life.  



Popular posts from this blog

In the world yet not of the world

Image
  IN THE WORLD YET NOT OF THE WORLD MARIO D’COUTO           Being in the world and yet not of it is something that can be a struggle, at least for me and what I mean by that is in as much as we desire to be good and to do good, God is not going to put a glass jar over us and say that just because we choose to love Him and follow Him more closely, that He is going to shield us from the temptations of this world. To make things clear though, this is not to say that the world in itself is bad or evil nor are the things found in the world either but how we deal with it is what will make us or break us. We all have responsibilities and important things that need our attention. If we are not careful though, our hearts and minds can be consumed with the task of keeping them afloat. Rather than centering ourselves in Christ and letting the other elements of our lives take their rightful place around that center, we can end up shifting our attention fr...
Read more

The Gift of Life

  THE GIFT OF LIFE  Mario D’Couto  The above video may seem to put human existence in a rather pessimistic way as if to say that our lives did not really matter and while no doubt there is some element of truth in it, I still feel that if lived well, there is meaning and purpose to our lives and that none of our lives is some sort of haphazard creation.  As I celebrate my gift of life tomorrow, I suddenly began to think that if we compare ourselves to the vastness of the universe and everything else that exists in it, we may perhaps be nothing more than a tiny dot floating on the surface of the earth and yet in as much as such a thing may appear insignificant, the One who created everything chooses to have a personal relationship with that tiny dot, that is, ourselves. This is something truly uplifting, which gives meaning and purpose to our lives and our existence. At the same time, it is also a reminder for us to stay grounded especially in those moments when w...
Read more

Are you creative?

Image
  ARE YOU CREATIVE? Mario D’Couto                         Can you imagine a world without creativity? What would the world look like if there was no creativity? Well, for all we can expect, it would be pretty boring and dull. There would be no speech, no songs, no tools, no ideas such as love, freedom or democracy. It would be an existence so mechanical and impoverished that none of us would want to be a part of.             To achieve the kind of world we consider human, some people had to dare to break the thrall of tradition. Next, they had to find ways of recording those new ideas or procedures that improved on what went on before. Finally, they had to find ways of transmitting the new knowledge to the generation to come. Those who were involved in this process we call creative. What we call culture or those parts of our selves that we internalized from the social...
Read more