Reclaim Solitude | Raymond Kethledge | TEDxUofM 

Judge Raymond Kethledge received his undergraduate degree and JD from the University of Michigan and is currently a United States Sixth Circuit Court Judge of the United States Court of Appeals. Kethledge’s favorite place in the world is his remote barn cottage in northern Michigan, where he seeks solitude. Motivated by how solitude has impacted his life, Kethledge spent 7 years researching and writing a book about its benefits. He found that solitude enhances moral courage, clarity, creativity, and emotional balance, among other qualities, and provides an effective defense against entropy in everyday life. Judge Raymond Kethledge received his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Michigan and now works as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He often travels to a barn in northern Michigan where he is completely alone, with no access to the internet or the outside world. This has allowed him to realize the importance of solitude in maintaining inner-directed approval and being tied less to external praise. Raymond has focused on using solitude and has honed his understanding of what solitude is and how it can enrich our lives, culminating in a book about the subject. Analyzing the importance of solitude has shown that it enhances moral courage, clarity, creativity, and emotional balance, and provides a way to block out entropy and create order in our everyday lives. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx