by John Philipp
Member since:
August 10, 2006

Thought~Byte No.164

September 08, 2009 11:52 PM EDT
views: 176 | rating: 10/10 (19 votes) | comments: 87

Thought~Byte No.164

 

 

 

Concept and words by John Philipp. Drawings by Phil Frank.

(The comments below are where the wisdom is found.)

 
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Comments: 87

John Philipp Sep 8, 2009, 11:53pm EDT
Mini Thought~Bytes (words without drawings) appear every day on my Twitter page.
John Philipp Sep 8, 2009, 11:53pm EDT
Thought~Bytes are posted every Wednesday. To see all Thought~Bytes and get an email when new ones are posted, please join Thought~Bytes
Karen E. Sep 9, 2009, 12:32pm EDT
John, I really like Thought~Bytes and always glad to get to mid week to see them. Thanks for all the work you do to bring this to us.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:05pm EDT
My pleasure, Karen. I learn a lot from the comments.
Karen E. Sep 8, 2009, 11:58pm EDT
I really like this one, perhaps because I am a bit of a solitary soul but have come to enjoy my own company more and more as I age.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:30am EDT
Good for you, Karen. It's the "enjoying" part that's important.
I'm with Karen... I always tell people I like being alone, because the company is good. That's a bit egotistical sounding, I know... but the truth is, I do my best thinking that way and that can't be bad.
Madame Butterfly ~~ mary ann d ~~ Sep 9, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
I'm with Karen and Julie. I've really come to appreciate my alone time as I grow older. Self-reflection is a big part of that.
Karen E. Sep 9, 2009, 12:30pm EDT
Good point MaryAnn, self reflection is an enriching part of the aging journey...not that you are aging!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:06pm EDT
"I like being alone, because the company is good.'
Great line, Julie.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:07pm EDT
And, Mary Ann, it's hard —though not impossible— to self-reflect in a crowd.
peggy g. Sep 9, 2009, 12:09am EDT
thats cute ,,,,,and true i guess
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:31am EDT
All Thought~Bytes are true, Peggy, except when they aren't. :)
Jeff K. Sep 9, 2009, 12:32am EDT
Or ...
Watch the person behind the one ahead of you.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:32am EDT
That'll work as well, Jeff. :)
Vivian A. Sep 9, 2009, 12:37am EDT
Yes sirree! I like being alone.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:34am EDT
I do as well, Vivian, and that also raises the point that spending time alone because you are the one you are least afraid of is not where we are going with this particular Byte — but another issue that often needs attention.
Vivian A. Sep 9, 2009, 11:31am EDT
Figures you'd notice. Actually, I tend to like myself more than other people, nothing personal.
Jan S. Sep 9, 2009, 12:41am EDT
Good one. I enjoy my own company.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:34am EDT
That's a good sign, Jan.
JoAnne D. Sep 9, 2009, 1:14am EDT
Interesting perspective. I hope myself doesn't leave without me sometimes. Or do I?
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:35am EDT
JoAnne, I'm going to have to wait for the caffeine to kick in before wrapping my mind around that statement.

It is intriguing. Who else wants to build on that?
Karen E. Sep 9, 2009, 10:17am EDT
I'm sure it has happened but not to ....oh heck, who was I talking to?
Tanya P. Sep 9, 2009, 1:31am EDT
Darned reflections!! LOL
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:36am EDT
They wouldn't be darned if they'd just stay the same, like when I was 25.
Dennis Gilman Sep 9, 2009, 2:17pm EDT
20 for me
JOHN BECK Sep 9, 2009, 6:55am EDT
I'm never alone anyway. I always have the words of my late grandfathers, father, mother, scoutmaster, teachers and professors which I carry with me.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:37am EDT
Another perspective on loneliness, John. We build memories of togetherness during our lives.

Thanks.
Karen E. Sep 9, 2009, 10:24am EDT
John B and John P, this is another layer that is so rich.
Gail Nobles Sep 9, 2009, 7:03am EDT
You are totally alone if you avoid yourself.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:38am EDT
Of course, Gail, then the question is who is there left to be alone?
~Sia McKye~ Sep 9, 2009, 7:41am EDT
Oh how true!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 8:38am EDT
You were expecting maybe half-true?
~Sia McKye~ Sep 9, 2009, 9:06am EDT
Pffft. lolol! Not with your Bytes!
Kushal Poddar Sep 9, 2009, 8:49am EDT
Avoiding one's own self is easy. Share it with others. Hey the catch is.... You know

like any other night
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:10pm EDT
I agree, Kushal, that sharing oneself is harder for many.
Kamran Qureshi Sep 9, 2009, 8:49am EDT
Yep, pay yourself the attention that's due!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:10pm EDT
Well said, Kamran. Thanks.
suzie muscrat Sep 9, 2009, 9:11am EDT
Friends always ask how I learned to live life the way I do. Now I can show them this byte and tell them I do the opposite. I never avoid myself, no matter how I feel or what I've done. Avoiding other people? Now that's another story...
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:11pm EDT
and sometimes that's just smart, Suzie.

Thanks.
Angela A. Sep 9, 2009, 9:43am EDT
Wow, I'll avoid myself tomorrow then. Thanks for the advice.
Te he!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:11pm EDT
Angela, you might have gotten this one turned around :)
Bill W. Sep 9, 2009, 10:31am EDT
I've been trying to get that guy off my butt for years. He keeps showing up at the same parties I do. He's trying to make time with my bride, too.

I'll get him one of these days.

Rest easy
Karen E. Sep 9, 2009, 12:29pm EDT
I like that Bill, very funny.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:12pm EDT
That's what you get for carrying a mirror around all the time, Bill.
Bill W. Sep 11, 2009, 10:24am EDT
I use the mirror to look behind me, so I know where I've been.
Teresa A. Sep 9, 2009, 12:11pm EDT
I agree 95% but I spend a lot of time alone and although I used to like that it gets a little old sometimes.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:13pm EDT
A balance seems most appropriate, Teresa, understanding that being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.
Lydia (part of the solution) Shelley Sep 9, 2009, 12:46pm EDT
Since that's pretty much impossible unless you're drugged into a stupor, I'd say that you can never be fully alone. If nothing else you have the company of all the millions of beneficial bacteria you play host to, LOL.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:15pm EDT
The millions of bacteria cast a whole different perspective on who we are, Lydia. Thanks. That's ripe fruit for reflection.

And, a bunch of our cells were multiple organisms that over the eons became part of us. (I heard it was the high rent, but who knows.)
Sandi S. Sep 9, 2009, 1:06pm EDT
Ahh...

I have known this kind of alone. It's not good.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:16pm EDT
Not good, Sandi, and certainly not optimizing one's potential in this life.
Vaishnavi K. Sep 9, 2009, 1:43pm EDT
i hvnt been alone.. ever.... i always have myself with me... and its a really scary idea of my not being with me wen there is no one else.... thankfully i hav not experience that... YET...
Dennis Gilman Sep 9, 2009, 2:13pm EDT
usually Jan S. is the one who scoops me. Vaishnavi Kunjapur. I couldn't have said it better.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:17pm EDT
ANy interesting view on this Byte, Vaishnavi. Thank you.
Sheila Deeth Sep 9, 2009, 1:55pm EDT
But lonely in a crowd?
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:17pm EDT
There's that too, Sheila. David Reisman wrote that. I took his course once. Fascinating guy.
Dennis Gilman Sep 9, 2009, 2:16pm EDT
Never happened to me yet. I'm the best company I have ever had. I share all the same interest with myself and I expose myself to the such interesting ideas and teachings.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:18pm EDT
Me too, Dennis. The quality of the ideas just blows my mind :)
Larry M. Sep 9, 2009, 2:38pm EDT
Avoid myself??? I have been carrying on a running conversation with myself since I was 4. This "other" won't let me get away with anything. If I try to lie to him, he knows right away and shames me into telling the truth. He makes me say to him exactly what I mean and won't allow me any sloppy wording which is not accurate. He has been invaluable to making me a better person. I am never alone and very rarely bored as a result.
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:18pm EDT
Sounds like you've got yourself a good friend there, Larry. Be nice to him.
Larry M. Sep 9, 2009, 7:58pm EDT
I treat him as I would like to be treated myself. :-)
Robert - just a simple man - B. Sep 9, 2009, 3:24pm EDT
This is correct John but likewise one can be LONELY in a crowded room.
Robert - just a simple man - B. Sep 9, 2009, 3:25pm EDT
And I too carry on verbal conversations with myself. Usually garnishing me some strange looks in the grocery store
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:19pm EDT
"one can be LONELY in a crowded room" Good point, Robert. And why being lonely and being alone aren't the same thing.
Mary Fagan Sep 9, 2009, 4:01pm EDT
Not that I'm bursting with self-esteem or anything, but I do like my own company. I'm never bored when I'm alone because I'm always writing books in my head. Some are even getting into print now!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 4:20pm EDT
Don't give too much credit, Mary, or you'll have to share the royalties with mirror Mary.
Mary Fagan Sep 9, 2009, 4:23pm EDT
Reflected glory? LOL
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 7:49pm EDT
Excellent rejoinder.
Sandre M. Sep 9, 2009, 6:05pm EDT
Always a difference between alone and lonely. As the mother of three children, I crave alone!
John Philipp Sep 9, 2009, 7:50pm EDT
That shines a whole new light on the subject, Sandre. Thanks.
Jill Lynn A. Sep 9, 2009, 8:07pm EDT
I seem to require more alone time than most people. It re-energizes me.

Plus, I amuse myself quite a bit. LOL.
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 12:09am EDT
Jill, I think a lot of people don't understand the value in that.

Maybe because they can't — at the moment.
blaine d. Sep 9, 2009, 8:44pm EDT
i love thyself!
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 12:09am EDT
A nice way to phrase this, Blaine. Thanks.
K D. Sep 9, 2009, 10:35pm EDT
We can be alone and not lonely.
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 12:10am EDT
Amen, Karen. This is not something a lot of people understand in my experience.
K D. Sep 10, 2009, 8:52pm EDT
I agree, John. Alone can be good at times. I don't think personally that I would want it on a 7/24 basis. But a little quiet "Karen" time is good. I think we all need that from time to time.

Lonely on the other hand is a longing for a closer human relationship or interaction. It can affect our lives negatively.
Ruth J. Sep 10, 2009, 12:46am EDT
Some one once told me that I seemed to value my "alone time". They were right. My husband recently retired and I found myself getting up very early to reclaim that time of aloneness. It is regenerative for me.
And if you talk to yourself you always get the response you're looking for.
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 11:13am EDT
That assumes you and yourself get along, Ruth. Not true for everyone — unfortunately.
Linda T. Sep 10, 2009, 2:46am EDT
Both bytes this week remind me of the path I took to become sober. I did not like myself and was terrified of being alone. I had to learn to accept myself and become comfortable with who I was. Once I began to like myself I was totally at ease to be alone because I was no longer afraid of myself. Hope that makes some sense to you.
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 11:14am EDT
Thank you for sharing that, Linda. It makes total sense and underlines the fact that loving yourself is the prerequisite for everything else in life.
Beaker (just Beaker) Sep 10, 2009, 4:04pm EDT
Being alone is fine...unless there's that creepy tapping noise outside my house in the dead of night. I don't investigate, since there are bears, wildcats, and skunks in the neighborhood!
John Philipp Sep 10, 2009, 4:24pm EDT
Here in California we call those personal growth experiences, Beaker.
Georgiana S. Sep 12, 2009, 2:45am EDT
oh yes!
John Philipp Sep 12, 2009, 8:22am EDT
:)
LaRue B. Oct 7, 2009, 6:50am EDT
That's funny!
I am never alone, nor do I walk alone!

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