“Let us make our happiness depend on ourselves,” is a fine thought. In my experience, when the people I love experience setbacks and disappointments, it hurts more than when I am targeted. I have built a lifetime of resilience and know how to recover. But nothing is more painful than watching a child feel hurt and rejection.
When is that time when you have done enough for others and therefore turn completely to yourself? I ask that not expectantly, but with curiosity. How can it be better? When others depend on you for their lives, support and comfort, the mind has a purpose and feels all the more blessed for the sacred moments of solitude.
But a life of solitude? Does a mind ever just concern itself with itself? Doesn’t it jump to the people you owe a phone call? Or remind you to ask how a math test turned out? Even if the other is just a dog, doesn’t the mind feel some guilt for leaving him home for a bit today and wish to soothe him more than ever?
Solitude can be a thing of beauty, but it is not something to treasure over people and all living beings you love. It’s a time to adjust and energize, so you better appreciate other moments, even the ones that feel most obligatory.