We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart... and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together.... I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude.

Helen Hayes frames modern life as psychologically and socially fragmenting—people are “pulled apart” by pressures, obligations, and constant stimulation. Her proposed remedy is not withdrawal from responsibility but a restorative practice: solitude as a way to “pull ourselves together,” i.e., to regain inner coherence, perspective, and self-command. The ellipses suggest a spoken cadence, as if she is reasoning her way toward a conclusion. In this reading, solitude functions as a counterforce to tension: a space for reflection, emotional regulation, and re-centering, which then enables healthier engagement with others rather than isolation for its own sake.