A short talk by Connor Beaton advocating for intentional, curated solitude for men. He contrasts solitude with loneliness, describes planning a six-day retreat involving hiking, meditation, nature, and possible writing, and argues extended uninterrupted contemplation allows deeper self-encounter than brief practices.
I truly believe that the majority of men that are out there crave solitude, not loneliness. There's lots of men that are isolated. I'm talking about curated, intentional, specific solitude where you're not distracted, where you don't have things to do. And so when my wife asked me, like, what? What are you planning on doing? I was like, well, I'm going to go to this cottage and then we'll see what happens. You know, I'm going to go hiking, I'm going to sit down in nature, I'm going to do some meditation. I might write a little bit, but I'm just going to ref and I'm going to see what comes up. That I think for a lot of men is something that they are craving but terrified of because it's in these types of solitudes where you have an opportunity to really meet yourself in a way. Not in the like 20 minute meditation or the 15 minute journaling session, but in six straight days of uninterrupted contemplation and reflection.
How to Raise Strong, Unshakable Boys in Today's Culture, with Dr. Shefali Tsabary
