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MrTeacup
It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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August 2008 
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ahhhhhhhh…the MAN…I like it…I am afraid that the first part of the verse is so true, to our detriment…..we are not independent in our thinking….a travesty indeed of human potential. My late husband had this beauty…of being sweet amidst the turmoil of the crowd with his own demeanor and his own independence. poignant indeed.
PS:
I have a poem called Solitude, not taken from the man, it is my own, altho I do see some ideas that would agree perhaps..don't know….you can take a look! let me know.
.
..he is great…i like it..
Question: Is solitude necessary for vichara?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: There is solitude everywhere. The individual is solitary always. His business is to find it out within, not to seek it outside himself.
Solitude is in the mind of man. One might be in the thick of the world and maintain serenity of mind. Such a one is in solitude. Another may stay in a forest, but still be unable to control his mind. Such a man cannot be said to be in solitude. Solitude is a function of the mind. A man attached to desires cannot get solitude wherever he may be, whereas a detached man is always in solitude.
Question: So then, one might be engaged in work and be free from desire and keep up solitude. Is it so?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes. Work performed with attachment is a shackle, whereas work performed with detachment does not affect the doer. One who works like this is, even while working, in solitude
Having a rebellious streak about a mile wide, it's very easy for me to live after my own opinion. Even though I think there's a lot of value in that, I've slowly realized that, in a weirdly paradoxical way, it can be it's own kind of sheltered lifestyle; a defensive pose to protect against the ambiguities of reality. To me, this quote is really about integrating the need to follow one's personal vision with equally important, if less glamorous need to be part of a group.