Solitude/Contemplation/Simplicity

These seem to be the facets of monastic life that are most appealing to Merton. They are also the characteristics of his life when he finds himself most happy. Merton seems to have enjoyed the secluded setting of St. Antonin, France. In college, he enjoyed escaping to the cottage at Olean, which turned out to be a sort-of makeshift monastery for him and his friends. Eventually, Merton found his home among the cloisters of a community of men who take vows of silence. Clearly Merton doesn't need prattle and pleasures. Even when in New York, one of the most crowded and loud places on the planet, Merton describes times of relative solitude alone in his room or on the balcony of his apartment with thousands of people nearby but no one physically present with him.

Solitude and simplicity also tend to be the traits or practices...