“The First Sign Of A Settled Mind Is That It Can Stay In One Place And Spend Time With Itself”

This is a quote from Seneca the Younger. I take this quote to mean that someone who can spend time in solitude is someone who is comfortable in themselves. People often need to fill their lives up with activities. They do so, in order that they do not have time to sit alone in their thoughts.

Spending time with oneself presents a twofold challenge for people. One, it forces a person to examine themselves quite thoroughly. Go over the parts of themselves that they aren’t so comfortable with. Who am I? Underneath all the superficial interacting with people, what is underneath the surface? No one can answer that but you. Is what you see when you really look satisfactory?

The second thing that spending time with oneself forces you to do; examine the greater meaning of life. Yes, some people are less philosophical than others. Some people are less inclined to care about such things. And not necessarily to their detriment. Too much philosophizing can be a bad thing. But only thinking about the surface level is not good either.

But regardless of your opinions on the bigger picture, everyone must figure out who they are beneath the surface. Even the most honest people don’t present their true selves when in the company of other people. And your true self is the person that you will always be with.

Who am I besides my interaction with people and events? I myself am still figuring that out. Sometimes, it is an uncomfortable exercise. I’d usually rather not dig to find all the details of who I really am. But I have to. And so must everyone if they want to truly understand themselves. There is a true essential nature to all of us. And we cannot pretend it does not exist.

We are all a work in progress towards a tranquil, settled, mind. That is why we must all work towards being able to spend time with ourselves.