THE NEED TO BE ALONE Because our culture places such a high value on sociability, it can be deeply awkward to have to explain how much, at certain points, we need to be alone. We may try to pass off our desire as something work-related – people generally understand a need to finish a project. But, in truth, a far less respectable and more profound desire may be driving us on: unless we are alone, we are at risk of forgetting who we are.
