Thomas Merton

One of the primary concepts of his writings is sacramental solitude. According to Merton, the desire to live one's life in solitude is a calling: "It is not a question of choosing solitude; it is she who has chosen me" (Merton, Courage 28). By entering the world of silence, Merton was able to detach himself from the material aspects of the secular world including people and books. As a monk, Merton pledged himself to a life of poverty because the development of the authentic self would be undermined by the distraction of noises and thoughts from the material world (Webster 392). For Merton, the ultimate objective of genuine solitude is for the individual to listen to God: "My life is a listening. His is a speaking" (Merton, Thoughts 74).

In his writings, Merton also highlighted the fact that the life of solitude is freedom. This freedom has a dual aspect. First, the life of soli

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