Solitude Amidst Multitude

Solitude, Serenity, Silence...are these possible amidst a cacophony of voices, amidst a multitude of people. Can i achieve it, and if i do so, wouldn't i be in a state of absolute serenity and calm, a state of tranquility...a state that is achieved only by the enlightened ones, after years of practise (or so i've read)...

Even if i do shut myself away from the voices outside, how do i suppress the voices within, the echo of the day's conversations, doing their constant rounds in cyclical precision in my mind...of things said and things left unsaid...of the work done and the work left undone...

How i wish i could distance myself, from all that is without and all that is within...Does the secret lie in trying hard, or not trying at all...Will i experience my moments of solitude instinctively or by an exertion of conscious effort towards mind control.

In pursuit of that solitude, i strive day after day...