French philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote,

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

It was a simple and profound thought about the nature of boredom, self-awareness, and our endless capacity to distract ourselves with stupid stuff. I am so adamantly drawn by all those ancient philosophers, who get to the very core of many human experiences.

Being a social outcast, I am perhaps the epitome of alone thinking. I taught myself most of the things I needed to succeed in the corporate world. Everything about software was self-taught. It was just much faster that way, as opposed to having to “learn at a snails pace” via a classroom method. I have become quite knowledgeable about ancient philosophers, and those who have valuable lessons to teach. Most everything I have learned was by sitting alone in a quiet room.