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Solitude - time on our own – has had a bad press. It’s certainly becoming more common in many parts of the globe, as seen in the increasing numbers choosing to live alone. But it’s easily confused with loneliness, or demonised as weird or threatening in the form of ‘the loner’.

So how far can or should we pursue solitude? How does it relate to our hyper-connected world?

We hear from a ‘semi-hermit’ on how she lives her life, a survivor of solitary confinement who also feared compulsory company, a champion of ‘the loner’s manifesto’ and an expert on global solo living.

(Image: A lonely man watches the sun-rise as he sits on top of a mountain. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)