Book Freak 164: A Life of One's Own

To overcome the anxieties and depressions of contemporary life, individuals must become independent of the social environment to the degree that they no longer respond exclusively in terms of its rewards and punishments. To achieve such autonomy, a person has to learn to provide rewards to herself. She has to develop the ability to find enjoyment a

You need time alone to act completely on your own desires — to discover the kinds of entertainment that please you, to realize such things as what color you’d most like your living room to be, to daydream and discover what you’re now missing. Your desires will be best learned when there’s no one around to influence and inhibit you.