Most of us have a strong desire for external companionship. In general, we don’t like to be alone for too long; we like to interact with others. While our desire for friendship varies by type and amount depending on the person, there are not many people who would voluntarily opt for a life of total solitude.
Our quest for external interaction overlooks one simple truth thad holds regardless of age or station in life: a person’s own mind is her closest companion. It is only logical that the way that we act and speak with our friends and colleagues is the same attitude that we will eventually have to contend with when we are filling our role of internal companionship.
Therefore, if we want to have a friendly internal companion, we should work to progressively train ourselves to mindfully consider our thoughts and actions. That way we will be developing good habits that will inevitably come back to us when we find ourselves alone with ourselves.