Solitude (pañisallàna, pavivakà or viveka in Buddhism) is the state of being secluded or separated from others, whether it be out of choice or is unwanted and forced. The edifice rests on a single insight that birth and death is associated with loneliness, separation, and isolation. These are universal feelings. We spend life as a “party of one” attempting to elude solitude afraid of the unpleasant associations of loneliness, anxiety, fear; denying life’s imminent emotional roller coaster ride. The trepidation of solitude triggers resistance for change, as we oppose jumping off the roller coaster into the unknown. My portfolio is my personal story, captured in the stories of those around me whose solitude made them lonely. We can either choose to rise or sink through it.
All photos are copyrighted by Zubin Mehta