Underground Knowledge — A discussion group discussion

For centuries, philosophers, writers, and psychologists have wondered what happens to a person when the noise of the world fades and only the self remains.

Isolation can be destructive — but it can also be transformative.

When we are cut off from the rhythm of daily life, the mind begins to reorganize itself in surprising ways:

• Memory changes: Past events return with a sharper intensity, as if the silence gives them room to breathe.
• Identity shifts: Without social mirrors, we begin to see who we are beneath roles, expectations, and noise.
• Inner voices grow louder: Thoughts we avoid, questions we postpone, and emotions we bury suddenly demand attention.
• Creativity awakens: Without external distractions, the imagination expands into places we rarely explore in ordinary life.
• But there is also danger: Too much isolation can distort reality, blur time, and push the mind into hallways it was never meant to walk alone.

So my question to this community is:

Do you believe isolation reveals the truth of who we are — or does it create a version of ourselves that wouldn’t exist in a connected world?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

— Raphaël

Raphaël wrote: "For centuries, philosophers, writers, and psychologists have wondered what happens to a person when the noise of the world fades and only the self remains.

Isolation can be destructive — but it ca..."

Hi Raphaël :))

Thank you for this question, its the one I love.

We could (roughly) divide humanity into those who do their best to live within their families/societies, honouring the tasks of daily living and and the pertinent responsibilities (often messy, chaotic, painful and "noisy", yes!) as well as trying to live fulfilling spiritual lives, upholding faith and love and hope, and helping the others to do so, too- in the midst of their "real world" existence.

The other part of humans (a minority) take a different approach; they decide to spend their lives in isolation ( such as living in wilderness/or monastery or similar), where they are detached from their relationships, families, communities and spend their days in somewhat self indulgent (sorry !) "pursuit of truth". It often takes decades, and apparently , this sort of " enlightenment" still evades most.

So what sort of human is a " genuine human with authentic wisdom"- the one who lives like intended by nature, within his community, benefitting from, and enriching the others, with the lessons of his life journey, or the detached being, who claims to have understood the conundrums of being human by .. hmm.. " not being human", so to speak...?

Please share your thoughts :))

Jasmine

Raphaël wrote: "For centuries, philosophers, writers, and psychologists have wondered what happens to a person when the noise of the world fades and only the self remains.

Isolation can be destructive — but it ca..."

Just to add to my previous comment, Raphael , if you are referring to " temporary isolation" of a person who already lived a full life, then yes, it could help one crystallise what he learnt ( Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is one prefect example) ; this is different from someone who chooses isolation over living his life in a first place.

Jasmine

Hi Jasmine,

Thank you for taking the time to offer such a thoughtful and beautifully structured reflection — your response opens the discussion in a way that feels both philosophical and deeply human.

I appreciate the distinction you draw between those who live within the fabric of community — embracing its noise, its chaos, its responsibilities — and those who withdraw from it in search of a purer form of truth.
Both paths, as you described, carry their own forms of courage and their own illusions.

What interests me most is the space between these two extremes.

For many people, isolation is not a permanent choice nor an escape, but a momentary state — a pause life imposes on us, or one we step into willingly to understand what the noise has been drowning out.
In that sense, temporary isolation becomes less about rejecting the world and more about recalibrating the self before returning to it.

I agree with you: the wisdom gained in solitude often depends on the life lived before the solitude.
A person who retreats after having engaged with the world carries its lessons inward;
a person who withdraws before ever living risks building a philosophy that rests on air rather than experience.

Your mention of Solzhenitsyn is powerful — he is indeed a perfect example of someone whose enforced solitude crystallized, rather than replaced, a life already lived.

Perhaps the real question is not whether isolation produces “authentic wisdom,”
but how much of ourselves we bring with us into that isolation —
and how much of ourselves we are willing to return with once it’s over.

Thank you again for such an illuminating contribution.
Your insights enrich the conversation in exactly the way discussions like this hope for.

Warm regards,
— Raphaël Zéla

Raphaël wrote: "Hi Jasmine,

Thank you for taking the time to offer such a thoughtful and beautifully structured reflection — your response opens the discussion in a way that feels both philosophical and deeply hu..."

Dear Raphaël,

I cant resist the temptation to answer in a tongue in cheek way.. this is EXACTLY why, we, girls, need to spend considerable amounts of time, regularly, attending to our beauty routines/artistic pursuits/nature bonding/writing books/reading books/ chatting to our favourite girlfriends for hours- a pure necessity, for this is how we "recalibrate ourselves" to be ready to face the world again :)) :))

Jasmine

I think to answer your question, one needs to know if the isolation is forced upon one or self-imposed. There are plenty of studies done on what happens to prisoners placed into segregation from the rest of the population. It can drive them literally crazy. yet at the same time, self imposed may be beneficial depending on the individual. There is a reason we have hermits.

I will say regardless if one is set aside from society, they will have significant personality changes just for the fact there will be no interaction with other people. Times and mores change and those not in contact will miss the changes and not be seen as normal to the rest of society.

Papaphilly wrote: "I think to answer your question, one needs to know if the isolation is forced upon one or self-imposed. There are plenty of studies done on what happens to prisoners placed into segregation from th..."

Hi Papaphilly :)

Do you like this quote by Dalai Lama? "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries." Isolation, whether self imposed or not, would tend to be associated with lack of love and compassion, hence yes, " it will drive one crazy", possibly even before their ignorance of contemporary norms will become noticeable.

We evolved as social animals- its normal for us to be with each other :)

Jasmine