Empathic isolation, i.e., the isolation of thoughts from any direct contact, is also encouraged and even embraced. Even direct contact with other humans – like giving a speech to an audience, being sat next to someone on a train, even having a conversation with someone in the street – is discouraged. In line with Wittgenstein's assertion that the meaning of words is inside our heads, we act like we're alone in the world.
If you ask the question, "Why are we isolated from each other?" you might even get an answer like, "So that we don't become confused and so that we can hold on to our logic." There's a weird sense of truthfulness to that, but it seems absurd in the context of actually being around other people. If anything, any interaction is an overload of emotion for someone who has become convinced they're already alone in the universe. They'd rather be alone than experience this overwhelming flood of other people's experiences.
The impetus for this forced isolation is survival: if you're isolated in a desolate, scary landscape, maybe it's less likely you'll be attacked by a zombie or hunted by a wild animal. As human beings, we feel uncomfortable being around other people for too long because we know we're just hanging out, numbing ourselves. But we don't have to actually enjoy it – we just have to find a way to get through it as quickly as possible.
