“I'm very happy by myself--I'm lucky in that way--if I've got enough to read and something to write about and a bit of alcohol for me to add an edge, not to dull it.”
Reflecting on Christopher Hitchens' statement about finding happiness in solitude, consider the following questions:
"I'm very happy by myself--I'm lucky in that way--if I've got enough to read and something to write about and a bit of alcohol for me to add an edge, not to dull it."
Christopher Hitchens, renowned writer and thinker, famously expressed his contentment in solitude, fueled by his love for reading, writing, and a touch of alcohol. In today's fast-paced world, where distractions are abundant and stress levels can run high, Hitchens' words serve as a reminder of the importance of finding moments of peace and creativity in solitude. Embracing one's passions and allowing space for reflection can lead to a deeper sense of fulfillment and self-discovery in a time when constant connection and stimulation can leave us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected.
In this quote by Christopher Hitchens, he expresses his contentment with being alone, highlighting his independence and self-sufficiency. He emphasizes the importance of having intellectual stimulation in the form of reading and writing, as well as the addition of alcohol to enhance his experiences rather than dull them. This quote showcases Hitchens' appreciation for solitude and his ability to find joy and fulfillment in his own company.
“Since I speak and write about this a good deal, I am often asked at public meetings, in what sometimes seems to me a rather prurient way, whether I myself or my family have 'ever been threatened' by jihadists. My answer is that yes, I have, and so has everyone else in the audience, if they have paid enough attention to the relevant bin-Ladenist broadcasts to notice the fact.”
“I want to live my life taking the risk - all the time - that I don't know anything like-enough yet, that I haven't understood enough, that I can't know enough, that I'm always hungrily operating on the margins of a potentially great harvest of future knowledge and wisdom...Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you.”
“Of course what I'm about to share isn't true for me but...Friends, somebody said, are "god's apology for relations." (p. 129)”
“In one way, I suppose, I have been "in denial" for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding that it often gives a lovely light. But for precisely that reason, I can't see myself smiting my brow with shock or hear myself whining about how it's all so unfair: I have been taunting the Reaper into taking a free scythe in my direction and have now succumbed to something so predictable and banal that it bores even me.”
“... To me the offer of certainty, the offer of complete security, the offer of an impermeable faith that can’t give way is an offer of something not worth having. I want to live my life taking the risk all the time that I don’t know anything like enough yet… that I haven’t understood enough… that I can’t know enough… that I am always hungrily operating on the margins of a potentially great harvest of future knowledge and wisdom. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“The offer of certainty, the offer of complete security, the offer of an impermeable faith that can’t give way, is an offer of something not worth having. I want to live my life taking the risk all the time that I don’t know anything like enough yet; that I haven’t understood enough; that I can’t know enough; that I’m always hungrily operating on the margins of a potentially great harvest of future knowledge and wisdom. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”