Going solitary.

What do we make of someone who withdraws from society and becomes a hermit.
The radio had tracked down a Priest who had committed himself to living completely alone in a remote part of Wales. His motivation is to become close to God and I suppose in a way it is like committing ones self to a monastic life which, although they are in a brotherhood they are confined to silence which sharpens their commitment.
Going solitary is therapeutic in some ways since it removes the clutter of integration and one can focus wholly on the tasks you have set yourself. The mind is made even more powerful when one secludes it from distraction of what ever kind.
The Indian Hindu ascetic is revered for his single mindedness and his ability to hone down his life to an extremely simple set of requirements. His bodily needs are minimised to such an extent that his condition becomes self serving in that he turns inward for nearly all sustenance. His mind is so focused that he can moderate and do without much of what we would call life sustaining things, like an animal going into hibernation,  he slows down the body mechanism, his breathing and food intake. Unless it is done for penitence (some sort of atonement) it serves the purpose of bringing "the moment" into total focus. His life is suspended and in the moment of suspension he sees more clearly what his life is for.
Sadly the nearest I can get to it all is to turn the telly off !