Study, for the solitary or would-be hermit, means observing the self, watching the self respond and react in different circumstances. The self becomes an object to observe and to study. But study also refers to the typical pursuit of formal (or informal) study of knowledge, information, history, events, traditions, creative productions. Study can be a useful prerequisite to our chosen eremitical life style. Yes, it sounds like reading and reflecting, but not of the classroom or daily paper variety. In the modern world it is indispensable to learn as much as one can about a body of knowledge or a set of skills. Modern culture intends to overwhelm the individual, to make the individual dependent in thought and heart. Of course, all cultures do this, but the means and methods of technology, institutions, and organizations today seem particularly insidious. To find a congenial and benign setting for learning (and living) will be difficult without a great deal of flexibility and tolerance on one’s part, but also reserve and demurring from the habits and opinions of the world.