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The critics of those who practise withdrawal talk of "escape" in derogatory tones, as of some cowardly and shameful act. But why is it so meritorious to stay chained forever to burdens, problems, anxieties, and crosses? Why may a sufferer not take refuge from their weight and pressure, seek relief from their tension, forget and let them fade into abeyance for an hour? This too is worthwhile even if, unlike the monk proficient in meditation exercise, he feels no positive peace. For the instinct which leads him into it is a sure one, however dim and unformulated it be. It is a far-off recognition of a profoundest fact--the connection with a Higher Power.

-- Notebooks Category 3: Relax and Retreat > Chapter 1 : Take Intermittent Pauses > # 47