The "Desert Fathers" once famously haunted the deserts east of Egypt, where they pursued solitude and clarity while seeking oneness and a greater fellowship with the God they believed was real. Such "Desert Fathers" did also occupy the remote islands of the Hebrides in Northern Scotland, as well as the coastal fjords of Norway, and in many other parts of the world where the ascetic life was taken up in favor of the settled comforts of home. Such "Desert Fathers" even exist today, though it's rare to find them as they so often blend in with the more sane and sober seeming citizens of the modern world. I met one such Father during my last trip out to Siberia. We had an interesting talk - though I wish I had spent more time with him than I did. And I wish I'd thought to ask him now if he'd ever experienced anything like The Great Indifference during his long days walking alone through the hot; or while sleeping alone beneath the cold stars, or while thinking whatever thoughts might come to the mind of someone who has decided to embrace what seems like little or nothing in favor of the something the rest of us hold so dear. #GoingAlone
My name is Kurt Bell.
You can learn more about The Good Life in my book Going Alone.
Be safe... But not too safe.