To Be Alone

It is very important to go out alone,
to sit under a tree—
not with a book,
not with a companion,
but by yourself—
and observe the falling of a leaf,
hear the lapping of the water,
the fishermen’s song,
watch the flight of a bird,
and of your own thoughts
as they chase each
other across the space of your mind.

If you are able to be alone and watch these things,
then you will discover extraordinary riches
which no government can tax,
no human agency can corrupt,
and which can never be destroyed.

~ Jiddhu Krishnamurti