Solitude or Loneliness? Solitude and loneliness-two words that sound somewhat similar to our ears – but do they describe one and the same state of mind? We are born alone, suffer pain alone, die alone. Yet throughout our lives we seek to escape loneliness through acquisition of people and things. In this pursuit, we may feel satisfied at times, but never fully assuaged. The pain of loneliness again returns. Then there are those who "execute a strategic ...