In the old movies, the difference between the Three Stooges and Greta Garbo isn't just comedy and drama (except for Garbo's last two films); it's a difference between living in a raucous crowd and living more quietly, if not hermetically.
Ever been in a grocery store or on a crowded sidewalk when three or four or more ring tones -- everything from Pachelbel to the RZA -- go off? People start jumping around, fumbling with their clothes or backpacks or bags and pretty soon even more people are walking down the sidewalk, alone but talking out loud. It's how we live.
Melissa at A Contemplative Joy nails it: there IS no alone time. And she points out an essay by William Deresiewicz, The End of Solitude, in which he takes on our cultures of celebrity and connectivity. About our obsession with numbers of blog readers and friends on Facebook, he writes, "What does friendship mean when you have 532 'friends'?"
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Ever noticed that when someone says, "I won't argue with you," they already have?