isolation

The zone is a place at the margin of society.

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

not sure where to write this, but this piece made me think of how in my first year of isolation, I achieved “neutrality” towards my work (unaffected by feedback) and confident in whatever is was (not judging it as good or bad but just necessary), partly because of this state of isolation. I was in the mental state described here, and I think this is partly what I chase his isolation –freedom from norms and conventions, safety for my larval ideas, immunity from perception. The return to perception was a shock that broke me out of this rhythm completely.

He could interface with the mathematical community with integrity because he had a deep familiarity with his inner space. If he had not known the shape of his interests and aims, he would have been more vulnerable to the standards and norms of the community—at least he seems to think so.

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

What solitude gives you is an opportunity to study what personal curiosity feels like in its undiluted form, free from the interference of other considerations. Being familiar with the character of this feeling makes it easier to recognize if you are reacting to the potential in the work you are doing in a genuinely personal way, or if you are givi... See more

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

Nearly everyone who does great work has some episode of early solitary work. As the philosopher Bertrand Russell remarked, the development of gifted and creative individuals, such as Newton or Whitehead, seems to require a period in which there is little or no pressure for conformity, a time in which they can develop and pursue their interests no m... See more

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

To state it in slightly different terms: in those critical years I learned how to be alone.

[. . .] these three years of work in isolation, when I was thrown onto my own resources, following guidelines which I myself had spontaneously invented, instilled in me a strong degree of confidence, unassuming yet enduring, in my ability to do mathematics,

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

The Knight: As you know, I am afraid of emptiness, desolation and stillness. I cannot bear the silence and isolation.

Death: Emptiness is a mirror turned to your own face.

Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born

Martyrdom feels entirely at odds with the self-optimizing solitude you see advertised by Instagram infographics and Twitter therapists — if you relate to one of the two phenomena, you likely feel completely repulsed by the other — but I think they are far more like mirror images than opposites. Both strategies rely on the fantasy that isolation can... See more

rayne fisher-quann • no good alone - by rayne fisher-quann - internet princess no good alone

It is tempting, in this world of alarm-bells and flashing warning signs, to want to trap myself in a room where there’s nothing to bounce off of but myself.

The worst thing about this feeling is that it makes you a martyr. You may hate yourself, but you’re also a hero, bravely forgoing love and connection and community to protect the world from the... See more