Walt Whitman says: "I celebrate myself, I sing myself." That is aloneness. This man Whitman is really a mystic, not just a poet. He should be counted with the ancient rishis of the Upanishads. America has not given birth to many great mystics; Whitman is really one of the most precious gifts of America to the world. He says: "I celebrate myself, I sing myself." That's what a mystic's function is: to celebrate himself. But how you will celebrate? You will have to invite others. You will have to ask others to come and participate. Meditation gives you the insight of your own inner treasures, and in love you share it. That's what I mean when I say that a sannyasin has to be ready to be alone -- so that one day he can be ready to love. Only a man who knows the beauties of solitude can love.
OSHO.
The Book Of The Books, III,
p.176