I am sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of a cabin in the mountains, smelling the scent of pine trees and enjoying the cool air. I am also fighting a feeling that is becoming more and more common as I get older: The desire to be a hermit.
No, the picture is not of the cabin where I am typing this, nor is it the Unabomber’s cabin, so don’t get paranoid. It is a replica of the cabin built near Walden Pond by one of the great literary hermits of our time, Henry David Thoreau. He decided to spend a couple of years in a one room cabin, while he communed with nature and wrote about it.
I get that. I’ve been to Walden and it is truly a beautiful, peaceful place.
And the next thing you know, he’s spouting off quotes like this:
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” (link)
Pretty nice. So I can’t help but think that living a deliberate life, away from the hustle and bustle of people, might prove to be insightful, if not profoundly affecting. It tempts me. Sometimes the solitude makes me start thinking that maybe it is time to pack it up and move to the hills. Looking around at the chaos and evil in the world does nothing but reinforce the idea that running away from it might be just the ticket.
The problem is that such a mentality is a lie. And it is dishonorable. Ouch.
We have been sent to this earth to interact with each other, to live, and laugh, and teach. Even greater as members of the Church, we have actually covenanted to “Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9)
In addition, we are called to serve, and to share the gospel of Christ. All of these things are much, much harder to do if we don’t actually have neighbors, or interact with people.
Simply put, when the desire to be a hermit starts to call to me, I just need to remember that my life isn’t about me, and my final interview would be very uncomfortable with a displeased Jesus, who pointed called for us to be “In the world, but not of it.” (John 17: 15-18)
So it looks like I won’t be moving to a cabin at Walden anytime soon.
But about that cabin…
It would need electricity. I appreciate the rustic approach as much as the next guy, but I want power. And wi-fi. Fast wi-fi. It would need to be fast enough to be able to run my internet so that I wouldn’t be completely oblivious to what is going on in the world, and I would need to be able to Skype and email friends and family.
Oh, and I would need to have high bandwidth to watch Netflix on my big screen TV. If you live far away from a good cineplex, you have to have a nice home theater with a great sound system.
Except that I would probably want my cabin to be near enough to civilization that has a good cineplex, because I do like the theater experience and movie theater popcorn. And restaurants. I would get tired of eating food storage after about two meals.
Oh, and I do question what “hermit” actually means, because it implies being alone. I have trouble with that, because I would want my EC with me. I’m not about to move into the middle of nowhere without her. (Home is where my Chrissie is.) She’s sitting three feet away from me, reading her Kindle.
Which leads me to the next problem: One room just isn’t going to cut it. We would need extra guest bedrooms for when the kids come to visit. I’m hoping that the grandkids will want to come see their “crazy grampa” once in a while. Which, of course, requires a separate kitchen and some extra bathrooms as well. And maybe a playroom with a ping-pong table.
And since I expect to continue being active in the Church, I would need to live near enough to civilization where I could do my home teaching without driving 100 miles through the mountains every month. Right now I can walk to my families’ houses, and that is kind of handy.
I would have issues with a cabin located more than 10 minutes away from Taco Bell, or In-n-Out, so that restricts it even more.
And an airport. This cabin is 4 hours away from a major airport. Man, that would make travel so much more inconvenient! Maybe I would need to learn to fly, and have my own private airstrip back behind the cabin. This is getting complicated.
Currently, I have 2 temples within a 12 mile radius of my house, and I wouldn’t want to give that up.
Hmm. The hermit life is intriguing, and I am enjoying this quiet weekend in the woods, but eventually – and rightly – I will need to go back home to the real world – because that’s where life happens.
But that is Monday – so don’t hold your breath for a Sunday post this week…
Of course, being a hermit (with wife and kids) for a few weeks a year helps me appreciate the being in the world and resets my mind to not be of the world. So we still look for regular hermit-like get-aways.
There were lots of comings and goings at Walden Pond. Thoreau wasn’t really a hermit at all, just an amazingly intelligent man who went to the woods to think about things for a little while. And had lots of company on a regular basis. That’s a great way to be a hermit!
I loved this. I am a very privates shy person, yes the new word trend is introverted. You really made me think. I have been a hermit in my own home but that is NOT who I am. I have been sent here to serve and to help others. Thanks for your thoughts, your 2 cents.
I’m having a spell of being “weary in well-doing” and some time as a hermit sounds pretty inviting right now!
How about living far enough from a church building that my family and I must do church in our home? The nearest Taco Bell is thousands of miles away. Any temple visits require flying. There is no home teaching because there are no members. Yes, the joys of living in Asia… On the other hand, I love this blog! I have often thought about living alone in the woods as well, but this really puts things into perspective. Thanks for the good work!
I have never really wanted to be a hermit but time alone is always healing for the soul. I could do with a blanket, a hot chocolate and a good book……..
Wow! After reading this I feel like a hermit! Our closest temple is 2 hours away, and the church bldg is 25 minutes. Our main airport is 2 hours away if the traffic is good. Visiting teaching anyone on my list is at least a 15 minute drive with most being closer to 30. But hey, we do have Taco Bell and other civilization just up the road.
From a young age I expressed a desire to be a hermit . I scouted out likely locations and fantasized ways to keep body and soul together . But somehow I have always lived with at least one other person . Like you , I now have an eternal companion and am involved in the Church , so hermitude is just a pleasant fantasy to occasionally indulge in , and that’s OK .