If these times endure, I shall become a hermit, For I see nothing here but grief and torment; Evils reign, good folk are held in scorn, And the wicked seize the seats of government. Eustache Deschamps According to the legend, the sage Lao Tzu walked away from society after he wrote down the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism. Some believe he wanted to live a simpler life and be closer to nature.
Others say that Lao Tzu was tired of society’s moral decline and the power struggles he witnessed, so he intended to withdraw. Even though Lao Tzu’s life is cloaked in myth, these sentiments ascribed to him are all too human. Many people went before him and many after him, leaving society behind and spending their lives in seclusion.
Throughout time, this peculiar desire of a small group of people to seclude themselves has persisted. To this day, some still long for profound solitude, which a hermit’s life can offer. Some still contemplate leaving behind a noisy society that, in their eyes, has nothing to offer worthy of lingering.
What moved people in the past and present to become hermits? What does a life of seclusion offer? And is the hermit life possible today?
Let’s explore the philosophy of the hermit. But before you leave society and become a recluse, consider supporting this channel by joining my Patreon page, so you get access to ad-free videos and free merch and vote for topics from the comforts of your cave in the mountains. Thank you.
And I hope you’ll enjoy this video. It’s difficult to pinpoint the first hermits in human history, as we cannot be really sure when people started to seclude themselves. The ascetics of ancient India from the Vedic tradition go way back, most likely thousands of years.
The Upanishads contain references to people who renounced society and sought spiritual practice in the forests, free from distractions. From the Christian tradition, we have the Desert Fathers and Mothers, such as St. Paul of Thebes and Amma Syncletica of Alexandria.
In China, there’s still an active hermit culture, especially in the Zongnan mountains where many hermits reside today. Also, there have been philosophers who admired hermits and adopted a semi-hermit lifestyle, such as Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Merton. All in all, we must conclude that hermit life has persisted throughout the ages all around the world and still exists today.
So, why do people become hermits? What drives them to leave society and spend their lives in solitude? To answer this question, I’m indebted to two primary sources: Peter France’s comprehensive book Hermits: The Insights of Solitude and a podcast episode by an impressive philosophy channel named Hermitix (link below).
In the latter, expert and author Robert Rodriguez shares his knowledge, which was very helpful. For many hermits, pursuing spirituality has been one of the main reasons. For example, Taoist hermits sought to get closer to the Tao.
But there’s another motivation that drives people to become hermits. Take the Desert Fathers, for example. They witnessed the merging of the Church and imperial power, which they considered detrimental to Christian values and their ability to practice their faith.
Their decision to seclude themselves wasn’t just an appeal to a more spiritual life; they also wanted to escape the increasing corruption of faith and society. Doing so aligned them with Lao Tzu, who also felt dissatisfaction with court life. So, they turned their backs on the world and went off alone, exposing themselves to the harsh conditions of the desert.
It’s not just seclusion but also a renunciation of society that characterizes hermits. As Rodriguez mentions, they realize they cannot change the world. But they can distance themselves from it.
Whether it’s corruption, wicked people in the government, moral decay, or today’s self-exploiting achievement society: they’re done with it. It has nothing more to offer them. The juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze.
Just look at the world today: tensions between powerful nations, deepening polarization, rampant greed, and a small group of ultrarich individuals holding most of the power. Have you had thoughts lately such as: “I don’t want to be part of this anymore” or “I wish I could just walk away from all this. ” Well, you’re not alone.
The renunciation of society is a universal phenomenon; the hermits have been doing it for ages! Based on their accounts, many hermits find their lives improving in solitude. Moreover, people consulted them for advice as long as they’ve been around.
So, people sought guidance for living within society from those who turned their backs on it. That’s ironic, isn’t it? Apparently, people see something of value in the hermit’s existence.
So, what makes the hermit’s life valuable? What do hermits find in solitude? Let’s explore this.
What’s so enticing about seclusion? Aren’t we social beings that need interaction with others? Or could seclusion be a good thing?
What’s to find in profound solitude? Are there any benefits to a lack of human connection? Plenty of accounts tell of the joys and benefits of secluding oneself.
Take, for example, the story of Christopher Knight, who disappeared in the woods and lived there for decades. The book A Stranger In The Woods gives an insight into his life. In solitude, Christopher found liberation from the noise of society and a rare form of inner peace.
He also speaks of an almost symbiotic relationship with nature, a joyful experience described by Thoreau and something the Taoist hermits also seek. Escape from society’s noise and closeness to nature are advantages commonly experienced by hermits. Such conditions allow for a profound spiritual life and, in some cases, intellectual pursuit.
Although Schopenhauer wasn’t a hermit, he avoided the crowds, allowing him to study and deepen his philosophy. Nietzsche used solitude to develop his philosophy, emphasizing it as a means for the Übermensch to rise above the herd. Rodriguez makes an interesting point and argument for the hermit life: the truth of impermanence.
Let’s, for example, consider today’s consumerist society and what it pursues. It’s about chasing status, money, nice cars and houses, and other material stuff. People also seek friends and relationships; they want to belong and fit in.
They keep up with the latest fashion and trends. They follow the news, which bombards them with doom and gloom 24/7. I’ve been reading a book by Rolf Dobelli called Stop Reading the News, which shows that most news is redundant information designed to catch our attention and generate profit and generally makes us feel anxious, angry, and unsafe.
As the wisest of humanity justly observed, everything is temporary. The outside world is in constant flux. It all comes and goes.
Yet, we constantly grasp and attach ourselves to the impermanent, causing all kinds of unpleasant emotions and depleting our energy. The hermit sees through this scheme. Therefore, he disentangles himself from these things.
All these worldly concerns will not make him happy. On the contrary, they stand in the way of his happiness and well-being. Imagine the joy of avoiding pointless small talk, social pressure, and constantly having to fit in—a peace and calm that allows uninterrupted creative or spiritual pursuits.
The worldly winds don’t ravage the Hermit’s domain, which makes it a haven of tranquility. From that haven, the hermit views society from the outside. It shows defects usually invisible from within.
It shows the vanity of the herd’s chasings and puts worldly concerns in a different light. Is the hermit’s unique perspective perhaps why people consult them for advice? Now that we’ve reflected upon the good of seclusion, such as inner peace, getting closer to nature, the absence of societal noise, and detachment from the mundane, let’s put the hermit’s philosophy in a modern context.
What’s it like to be a hermit today? Is there something like a modern hermit? Can we adopt certain aspects from the hermit’s lives to benefit our own?
Over the centuries, humanity has built large, complex societies interwoven in an increasingly globalizing world. We’ve never been so connected, and we’ve also never been exposed to so much information about practically anything on Earth and beyond. Although marginalized, the hermit has stood the test of time, and people who wish to seclude themselves still exist (perhaps even more than before).
Today, the act of secluding oneself is generally seen as bad. From personal experience, I've noticed that when you isolate yourself from people, they assume something is wrong with you. The phenomenon of the hikikomori in Japan rejecting society, mental issues aside, is widely considered a problem.
As the conversation with Rodriguez clarifies, today’s world generally offers little respect or support for hermits. It’s also challenging to emulate the classical hermit lifestyle in a practical sense. In most places, you need some legal ties—like an ID, taxes, or property.
These things typically require having a bank account and a phone. While some degree of self-sufficiency is still possible, being truly off-grid and independent has become increasingly difficult. But current society also offers opportunities.
Increasing technological advancements and individualism allow for a different kind of eremitism, a somewhat paradoxical one. Consider the ‘urban hermit’ (or city hermit). You’ll get different descriptions of this curious fellow when you search for urban hermit on Google.
I stumbled upon an old Chinese proverb: “The mediocre hermit resides in the forest; the great hermit lives in the city. ” This suggests it’s not only possible but perhaps more admirable to preserve solitude in a bustling urban environment. So, how does the modern city hermit live?
By seeking seclusion amidst the crowd—alone in an apartment or house with minimal human contact. Again, this sounds paradoxical, but in today’s world, it actually makes sense. City life used to involve lots of social interactions.
People had to go to work physically, and if they wanted to buy something, they had to visit these places called shops. Stuff like bank transactions or booking a trip happened in person. But times have changed.
In many places, you can survive without ever leaving your house: an internet connection lets you shop, make money, handle banking, file taxes, et cetera. As part of the urban matrix, the city hermit isn’t self-sufficient, like a Taoist hermit with his mountain shack and vegetable garden. However, the system allows him to live with minimal human contact and, let’s face it, the convenience of the city.
But for some, staying in a city or society they despise is unbearable, even as a hermit. They may be better off leaving—ideally to a distant culture. Being in a different culture creates distance from home.
Tension and politics from your native country may be pretty irrelevant in another. In Indonesia, for example, the whole left-right nonsense is barely a thing, and few care about foreign politics. It’s a relief—and you don’t have to be a recluse to benefit.
I’d even say that a digital nomad can adopt a hermit-like lifestyle. Again, I’m being self-referential here, but I have spent significant time abroad while working. I traveled slowly and only stayed in urban areas.
In my experience, metropolises like Tokyo or Jakarta offer near-invisibility. Because there are so many people, you can easily disappear into the crowd. But what I believe nomad life uniquely adds to the semi-hermit experience is non-attachment to one’s surroundings.
I was just a visitor. Culturally and linguistically, there was a distance between myself and my environment. This strangeness was already a form of seclusion, the invisible walls of unfamiliarity.
Combined with the anonymity of the city, my urban hermit’s existence was round. And it was pretty adventurous, too. So, today’s world offers plenty of possibilities for those who thrive in solitude and seek disengagement from society.
But before plunging into the secluded life, take caution. It’s not for everyone. And it’s especially not for those full of resentment, unable to let go of worldly affairs, which may turn solitude into a personal hell.
Consider this saying from an unknown hermit from the stories of the Desert Fathers: “It is better to live among the crowd and keep a solitary life in your spirit than to live alone with your heart in the crowd. ” Thank you for watching.
