This is the abstract for a paper that I will present at the International Autoethnography Conference in July. Better get cracking.

We are connected to society, neighbourhood, family, friends, work colleagues, political, social, and sporting associations. The birth of the internet and social media means that we can be connected all of the time. However, do I lose myself in the layers of connectivity? Is it in solitude that I find myself by being alone? Do the ancient desert fathers and mothers have something to teach us about this, and what might they have to say to a world that is spiritual but not necessarily rooted in one form of religion.