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It's official! - BBC news 'solitude as an aspirational lifestyle'

Marianne72

At last, it appears we're becoming mainstream Thinking ! Read this BBC news article. 'Solitude as an aspirational lifestyle: 'We are not lonely.''

I admit that at first I felt miffed [strangely], as if 'normal' people had encroached on my chosen solitary space, turning it into 'a thing'. For years, before discovering I was autistic, being solitary was a lifestyle I felt I'd created - something special. I'd endured the usual remarks - 'everyone needs someone' 'what about when you get old?' - constantly reading in the media trite remarks like the greatly over-used, 'billy no-mates.' But perhaps it will prove to be a good thing. Those with psycho-pathologies that lead them to commit crime to, 'get noticed' might at last feel understood; their state becoming 'socially acceptable', instead of a cause for taunting. Others who feel lonely and for whom the lifestyle is not an actual choice, might feel relieved that they are, 'normal'. 

Is this revelation a good or bad thing as far as you're concerned? 

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  • Thanks for posting that link - I was delighted to read a mainstream discussion about solitude and not having friends with a fairly positive slant. Although I agree with other responders here saying they're not sure how solitary these people really are, and that the positivity about solitude was undermined by the short summaries at the end where the individuals all seem to actually wish for companions. But it's at least a step forward. Personally not having friends is a choice for me, but it's a choice driven by my psychology which is influenced by bad experiences in the past amongst other things.

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  • Thanks for posting that link - I was delighted to read a mainstream discussion about solitude and not having friends with a fairly positive slant. Although I agree with other responders here saying they're not sure how solitary these people really are, and that the positivity about solitude was undermined by the short summaries at the end where the individuals all seem to actually wish for companions. But it's at least a step forward. Personally not having friends is a choice for me, but it's a choice driven by my psychology which is influenced by bad experiences in the past amongst other things.

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