Solitude can have various meanings

• Castle_Solitude and race track memorial site, Stuttgart, Germany
• 100 Years of Solitude
• The Fortress of Solitude
• Solitude Aeturnus

Solitude (also seclusion, isolation) means lack of contact with other people. It may stem from deliberate choice, contagious disease, disfiguring features or repulsive personal habits, or circumstances of employment or situation (see castaway). This article has been translated, and needs attention from someone approaching dual fluency. ... A race track (or racetrack), is a purpose-built facility for the conducting of races. ... Stuttgart, a city located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of approximately 590,000 as of September 2005 in the city and around 3 million in the metropolitan area. ... One Hundred Years of Solitude One Hundred Years of Solitude (original title: Cien a os de soledad) is a novel by Gabriel Garc rquez. ... The Fortress of Solitude is a 2003 Jonathan Lethem novel set in Brooklyn, spanning the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. ... Solitude Aeturnus is an American doom metal band that was started in 1987 as Solitude. ... Castaways may need to survive on a desert island. ...

Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being disturbed.

Long-term solitude is often seen as undesirable, causing loneliness or reclusion, resulting from inability to establish relationships.  However, for some people solitude is not depressing.  Still others (e.g. monks) regard long-term solitude as a means of spiritual enlightenment. Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. ... A recluse is someone in isolation who hides away from attention of the public, a person who lives in seclusion from intercourse with the world; from the Latin recludere, to shut up or sequester. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... ...

A distinction can be made between physical and mental seclusion. People may seek physical seclusion to remove distractions and make it easier to concentrate, reflect, or meditate. However, it's not the end in itself and once a certain capacity to resist distractions is achieved, people become less sensitive to distractions and more capable of maintaining mindfulness and staying inwardly absorbed and concentrated. Some highly developed people (e.g. some Buddhist monks) can maintain very high concentration levels almost regardless of external circumstances. Such people, unless on a mission of helping others, don't seek any interaction with the external physical world. Their mindfulness is their world, at least ostensibly.

References

1. Psychology Today: Solitude vs Loneliness
2. Merriam-Webster Online solitude