[4] My final admission that life in society is proper and should not be shunned

• [4.1] It is not right or human to be continually alone

 
• [4.1.1] Essentially human is the tendency towards seeking out others (e.g., we are "social beings")

 
• [4.1.1.1] Those who live fully enough within social groups achieve a transcendent and self-sustaining strength
 
27 September 1997 -- Taking another look at the crowd
10 November 1997 -- Walking the solitary road
27 November 1997 --  Yearning to give real thanks
4 October 1998 -- Not watching the game
29 January 2002 -- That life of the heart
 
• [4.1.1.2] Participation and conformity, despite their associated pain, result in the optimal course of personal growth

 
• [4.1.1.2.1] Isolation, though an immediate source of comfort, eventually loses its lustre
 
• [4.1.1.2.1.1] Being at all human is enough to create identification with the collective
 
7 December 1998 -- Encroaching concessions
24 February 2000 -- A self-contradicting illusion
9 April 2000 -- Down to the river and back
10 October 2000 -- Facing basic needs in the cold
4 March 2001 -- Unavoidably a member
8 July 2001 -- Some time in a smaller space
12 November 2001 -- The question of where to look
18 March 2002 -- In limited company
9 December 2002 -- The posturings of a fugitive
6 January 2004 -- My place within the flux
 
• [4.1.1.2.1.2] Life with others is an inherently richer, more "interesting" way

 
• [4.1.1.2.1.2.1] Non-human surroundings do relatively little to engage a person, rich though they may be
 
27 May 1998 -- Alone at the summit
2 July 2000 -- The contexts of my immersion
19 November 2000 -- Preparations made in isolation
12 April 2001 -- A call to share in life
8 January 2002 -- Inevitably, a struggle
12 October 2002 -- The many parts of the self
 
• [4.1.1.2.1.2.2] In the presence of a social group; the vibrant collective, a nearly limitless potential resides
 
13 February 1999 -- An observation of my surroundings
24 April 2000 -- A life of two extremes
23 September 2000 -- More time spent on my own
30 January 2001 -- The variety of my connections
4 January 2002 -- A suggestion of more
29 March 2002 -- The solution is at hand
4 November 2002 -- It must get better than this
3 January 2003 --  The utility of the moment
26 June 2003 -- Custodian to the source
11 November 2003 -- The many, and the one
3 May 2004 -- One of the one many

• [4.1.1.2.1.3] One's conscience becomes bothered by the act of leaving
 
1 February 1999 -- The others are out of sight
3 May 1999 -- Persistence under fanciful premises
3 July 1999 --  I have time on my hands
16 July 2001 -- The gravity of my actions
 
• [4.1.1.2.2] Such difficult yet noble efforts prove endurable and valuable in ways that must be accepted on faith
 
• [4.1.1.2.2.1] Initially entering such a life can have its share of misgivings
 
26 July 1998 -- Staying under the sun-shelter
14 September 1998 -- Alone, facing the oncoming wind
14 March 1999 -- Visibility is low today
11 July 1999 -- Going over the rules of the game
28 March 2000 -- Enjoying what I can
14 July 2000 -- A presumption of higher justice
28 February 2001 -- Facing a temporary temptation
 
• [4.1.1.2.2.2] A person must accept the initial uncertainty of embarking upon what seems "right"

 
24 December 1998 -- A break from facing the unknown
15 May 1999 -- It is not always the waste it seems
30 August 1999 -- The activity of my own making
19 February 2000 -- Attempts at proper gratitude
28 April 2000 --  A most powerful truth
24 December 2000 -- An assessment of true demand
 
• [4.1.2] The desire to escape and remain completely alone is an artifact of stress; a difficulty in coping and social adjustment

 
• [4.1.2.1] A person becomes unduly sensitized and weakened by insufficient exposure to the outside world (e.g., "avoidance")

 
20 October 1997 -- Coming face to face with real life
19 May 1998 -- Dreams and hard truth
17 November 1998 -- Lasting out the rough spots
25 November 1998 -- Sheltered by distance
21 January 1999 -- Venturing out again into the open
19 May 1999 -- Inside my shelter, as the rain falls
8 August 1999 -- I still hear the noise
 
• [4.1.2.2] A defeatist attitude towards living among others can develop from an exaggerated and distorted view of life's pain
 
• [4.1.2.2.1] A pessimistic outlook towards such life emphasizes too much the negative

 
29 January 1998 -- The cost of a personal outpost
14 July 1998 -- At home, sitting outside
7 March 1999 -- Encamped in familiar surroundings
21 July 1999 --  Two lives, one reality
31 October 1999 -- Enclosed in the night
12 March 2000 -- The cold weather persists
 
• [4.1.2.2.2] Misinterpretation of truly rewarding experiences contributes to the sense of futility
 
30 August 1998 --  The steep path to a life of love
9 January 1999 -- Stepping out for some air
7 September 1999 -- Sorrow that has no place
17 December 1999 -- Inside for the night
20 March 2000 -- Solitude's ultimate limits
18 October 2000 -- Temporarily sheltered from exposure
27 October 2001 -- Inspiration at its limits
 
• [4.2] I have too much to give in my city life (e.g., it is "where I belong"; "they have use for me")
 
31 October 1997 -- It need not seem like a bad life
13 January 1998 -- Discerning which work is worth doing
27 February 1998 -- The acceptable sacrifice
16 April 1998 -- A moment's escape to the clearing
6 August 1998 -- Waiting on my reward
21 November 1998 -- Back in hiding
3 March 1999 -- Away from my obligations
 
• [4.3] The need for membership in communities cannot be denied

 
• [4.3.1] The cost of participation within community is repaid in what is returned to the individual

 
• [4.3.1.1] Identification with others through common humanity allows for a "currency of exchange"

 
16 December 1997 -- This snow is good packing
19 February 1998 -- A solitary walk in the snow
29 November 1998 -- Seeking to understand my objectives
2 April 1999 -- Looking for the right answer
18 April 1999 -- A most permanent place
11 June 2000 -- The ideal of imperfection
20 December 2000 -- A place for holding out
3 February 2002 -- My self and its complement
4 May 2003 -- The receipt of content and creation

• [4.3.1.2] Rules and contraints pertaining to membership prove necessary and worthwhile
 
• [4.3.1.2.1] The overall effect of other-directed effort is to "enforce" an environment of compassion and mutual support
 
24 April 1998 -- Sitting with the campfire
28 December 1998 -- Timeless predictabilities
29 January 2000 -- Relaxing on my own terms
6 April 2002 -- Duty is unavoidable
 
• [4.3.1.2.2] The individual is best exalted and supported in an respect-filled environment of cooperation and compromise

 
25 January 1998 -- Freedom through interdependence
3 October 1999 -- Time to warm myself up
5 October 2000 -- Some time spent doing nothing
17 September 2001 -- It isn't about just me
 
• [4.3.1.2.3] A legalistic structure to one's behavior in the group adds a stabilizing influence to living

 
22 August 1998 -- The problems with running away
4 November 1999 -- The inevitable is coming
 
• [4.3.2] It is a mere illusion when commitment to others does not appear worthwhile

 
• [4.3.2.1] Intrinsic value lies in such a difficult life, but it must be lived to be known

 
• [4.3.2.1.1] The social realm has a sublime power of enrichment that cannot be understood from the outside

 
11 March 1998 -- Threads more precious than gold
4 June 1999 -- My expectations are out of view
27 November 1999 -- Reflection in solitude
30 May 2000 -- The place of true comfort
15 September 2000 -- The cost of a free life
14 October 2000 -- A scene to promote appreciation
5 January 2001 -- Playing host to myself
10 June 2001 -- Accepting a gift of solitude
16 January 2002 -- The one and the many
10 May 2003 -- Encamped before the door
14 October 2003 -- The true and the real

• [4.3.2.1.2] Those with a stronger faith in humanity can see up front what they'll get when they join in

 
31 May 1998 -- The price of peace
6 September 1998 -- Trying to explain my hesitation
25 December 1999 -- Lasting out what must be
21 January 2000 -- Trying to conserve heat
 
• [4.3.2.2] The socially compliant receive external support and recompense for their sufferings

 
10 August 1997 -- Learning the secret to life amid the crowd
24 December 1997 -- A truly Silent Night
16 June 1998 -- Keeping step to the beat
1 November 1998 -- Taking a break from social striving
29 December 1999 -- Illusions in the uncertainty
20 April 2000 -- The specifics of satisfaction
23 November 2000 -- An obligation towards gratitude
17 May 2001 -- The inescapable load
5 April 2003 -- There is indeed a place