A hermit would be no hermit without a skull

For a good time, I collected and analyzed ("read") as many books and articles on the topic of hermits as I could, and I did this for the purposes of simply learning about hermits and hermitages. What did I learn? Simply put, my understanding of what hermits was re-enforced. Hermits are solitary people -- usually men -- and they are usually interested in delving into religious experiences. Along the way I also learned a bit about hermit crabs. In short, "A hermit would be no hermit without a skull."

Semantic analysis of the word "hermit" and some of its variants

While this reading re-enforced my beliefs, I am now able to be more articulate regarding these beliefs and I am able to back up my beliefs with more than antidotal evidence. Some people might ask, "Why don't you just read an encyclopedia article?" And my response might be, "I desire to make my own conclusions rooted in my own experience; encyclopedia articles are all well and good, and I will use them to supplement my understanding, not form it completely."

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