The sun is hurtling toward the south. It surprised me this morning how far to the right of the smokestack I had to look to find it peeking out from under the covers.
In his book, Huis clos (No Exit), Jean Paul Sartre puts forth the proposition that "Hell is other people." The few characters in the book have all the creature comforts they need, but they are confined in each other's company for eternity, and that is their eternal suffering, their hell.
Now think about the fact that the most severe form of punishment for incarcerated felons is solitary confinement. Some say that those weeks or months without any human interaction are as cruel and unusual as any torture.
Which is true? or is it both? Which do we need more, enough solitude to get a clear sense of our selves, or the comforts of community? What if you had to choose only one?
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Frosty fields, glassy pond, lovely autumn morning.
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