Does a person ever really have to leave their home anymore?

12:52am Monday 1st March 2010

By Darren Low

Have recent advancements in technology meant that a person, if he/she chooses, can live out the remainder of their life in reclusion?

On January 27th, 2010, it was announced that best-selling author and cult icon, J.D Salinger, had died, aged 91, of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.

For the unknowing or for people simply living on Mars for the last half century, Salinger was responsible for arguably the best piece of contemporary fiction ever written, The Catcher in the Rye.

Considered to be semi-autobiographical, his 1951 masterpiece of adolescent alienation and teenage rebellion not only catapulted Salinger to global recognition, but it also provided a voice for millions of unappreciated and underachieving youths worldwide.

It would be this sudden international success, however, that would ultimately lead him to living out the remaining years in a state of reclusion. Still writing a couple of short stories and novellas here and there, he eventually managed to escape unwanted attention from the public, and later drifted into the shadows.

It was the announcement of Salinger’s death that really started me thinking about recluses. What drives a person to shut themselves away from the rest of the world? Is it depression? Is it an easier alternative to the busy world we live in, or have we just made it so appealing to stay at home?

In Japan, an estimated 1% of the population have declared themselves reclusive, in a movement commonly known as Hikikomori. It is seemingly a statement of non-conformity against specific social, political and cultural values, which are being drilled into the Japanese people.

As far-fetched as that may seem, in order to make a point, I can appreciate that this particular form of reclusion is politically-motivated. J.D Salinger’s was quite simple also. The attention his novel brought made his personal life fairly unliveable. Most other celebrities would usually find their salvation in the form of alcohol or drugs. In comparison, Salinger’s was fairly sensible.

As for the non-celebrities out there, whose reasons are not political – I am interested to know whether their problems are more deep-seeded or just whether we have created a recluse’s paradise.

I struggled to pin-point one reason why a person would have to leave their home, unless for financial or medical reasons. If you are fortunate enough that your profession allows you to work from home, and you can make a good enough living from it – there is nothing a telephone line, personal computer and modem can’t get you.

This is the advantage of living in an electronic world where now everything is just one click away. From the comfort of your home, a person can purchase food, drink, entertainment, exercise equipment, clothing, furniture, utensils, private medical care, access to dating sites, social networking sites and even a machine that produces fresh air.

If you are interested in knowing what the Eiffel Tower looks like close up, or what it is like to stand in the middle of Times Square and marvel at the sheer size of the billboards on show, just visit Google Street View.