There’s a meme going around that our grandparents were called to war and we are called to sit on our couch. We got this.

I smirked at first, thinking of my own grandfathers who both served in World War II and saw such atrocities that they never talked about it. Ever.

Then I wondered why this meme even started.

Could it be that in our constantly connected world, we’re afraid of solitude?

I know the first thing I teach my students when I introduce them to the discipline of meditation is how hard it is to be alone with your own thoughts. We’re so used to distracting ourselves, our brains go haywire at the thought of boredom.

As a practitioner and student of the contemplative side of religion, solitude is necessary. Even today, with the demands of teaching and a young family, I still find moments in my day to create space for myself.

Outside of the bounds of religion, solitude can be a liberating experience–as evidenced by Michael Harris and the hermit of Maine.

If we want to look at this in a new lens, this time of social distancing is a call for all of us. It’s time to recognize we can burden ourselves with the thought of boredom, or embrace reflection with the time being given to us.