Those of you Mightys who are seniors like me (I'm 70), may remember back in 1966 when Simon and Garfunkel recorded 'I Am a Rock' on their Sounds of Silence LP.
Recently, I heard it and it made me wonder about my fellow Mightys. How many of us live as a rock, in solitude.
Here are some of the lyrics.
🎶A winter's day in deep and dark December. I am alone. Gazing from my window to the streets below, on a freshly fallen shroud of snow. I am a rock. I am an island.
I've built walls, a fortress deep & mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship. Friendship causes pain. It's laughter and loving I distain.
Don't talk of love. I've heard the word before. It's sleeping in my memories. I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved, I never would have cried.
I have my books and poetry to protect me. I am shielded by my armour. Hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock. I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain.
And an island never cries.🎶
Solitude will never mean living a life without pain. Paul Simon's effective use of an extended metaphor compared a human to a rock. And that life with the characteristics of a rock could prevent the pain caused by the human aspect of living. He's lonely and alone, yet still avoids friendships and other types of relationships.
Being an island means "I'm strong. I don't need anyone. I can get thru things by myself."
(Isolation and emotional detachment)
However, in 1664, John Dunne penned that "no man is an island. He explores the idea of the connectiveness of people. That people are not isolated islands. That we are all part of a larger thing, and if one person dies, everyone is affected. It's actually been psychologically proven that people do depend on each other.
Rocks don't have feelings.
We're not rocks.
We do have emotions.
Maybe it's something to ponder. What do you think?