Chapter 3, The Day Alone Summary and Analysis

Some individuals may seek the company of others in community from the fear of being alone. Fellowship can be seen as a means of distraction from loneliness. This attempt at distraction can cause separation from others and loneliness. Ironically, the individual can attract to himself what he fears and tries to avoid. Christian community fellowship must not be considered a diversion. Solitude and silence are essential to the individual and to the community. A person in community who fears being alone may harm both himself and the community. However, a person who is not in a community should also be wary of being alone. The call of Jesus Christ to an individual may appear through fellowship with others. Bonhoeffer experiences this call to fellowship while exiled in England. He wants to study pacifism while living...