Other essays on this theme

Essay: "Isolation and Solitude"

by Ruben Benavides
“Isolation + Solitude = Solation!”

To be alone or detached, separated, is something that takes tough minds not to fall into insanity or heavy depression. It is strange to be placed in a single man cell. Ad. Seg. is the last place you want to be in… Even the prison is built out is the land of Nowhere. We are surrounded by lonely trees, lonely highways, even a lonely long road surrounding the prison. It seems like this place was designed to be a lonely, and unfrequented place.

Their plan is to detach “us”…. Us and then, bad and good. It’s a cold place… even when it’s blazing hot outside. Just being outside is warn with feelings. Those feelings you can’t feel while inside these walls. So those feelings we have are also an unfrequented place. To be locked up and stashed away from those who we love. Everything we do is like a prison. Our self, beings, minds, feelings and sometimes our thoughts are alone and locked away. Sometimes it’s good to be alone, a cell to myself with my own space, a toilet to myself, shower to myself. Free to listen to any kind of music and as loud as I want. Eat a lil food without feeling bad. Yeah. That’s the good part.

This place is a reminder to all of us… you committed a crime alone. So you will be kept alone, alone with your pain, thoughts, and lonely tears. Even though our loved ones are also suffering from detachment, and being separated. They are going through the “solation” also.

In all… prison is a mind designed… to the color of the walls to the color of the metal bars. Don’t believe me? Look up what kind of moods are triggered by colors. We are kept away from the population, even busy cities. We can’t even have contact with the animals that are caged and raised around us. Even though we smile, laugh… we are in some ways lonely. They have to keep us out of the norm. To be kept in solitude or isolation is to make us break away from our mistakes. For some it’s good… for others it’s just a plain dead end. Their minds rot and lose sense of what, where and when. Lost in their hurt, sadness, loneliness… that’s what I can “solation.”