There is a concept of going into the wilderness for some time (as we go through Lent). It's ancient. I wonder if we'll ever find out it's just as useful as intermittent fasting.

Ofcourse there are. Thats why all religuous systems produce monastic orders of one kind or another. Secular institutions are much younger so have much less mature versions of it. And out of these spaces you get some of the best human studying and thinking ever done.

The emergence of monastic life and how religion/cultures create space for it, in a sustainable way(cuz why even bother?), is fascinating for what its implications are about group behavior.

Think of monk like personality traits within any group being out of phase with the majority. Rather than filtering it out it survives. Not just in one culture. But in all.

One great example of what comes out of monestaries (trying to self sustain) is the emergence of Pastoral Care as a core feature of the church (some say more than any other feature it has contributed to how the Church survived down fall of empires, nations and kings that supported them). So Irish monks would walk into the local village listen to peoples problems in exchange for food and drink. That turned out to be so popular (probably the earliest forms of therapy) that it became institutionalized.

I remember reading about some desert monks who do that and that they had a set routine for every day including a large amount of manual physical work and cooking and cleaning. They were not just isolated in a cave doing nothing but living and working and praying. I seem to recall they were also advised to ignore any visions they had (even if they were good) which seems counter intuitive if one is thinking about stories about spirit quests. But I guess it's very wise.

I imagine the translation to lighthouses would be to ensure that your time there is spent in a good routine of keeping yourself active and to have some training on how to maintain psychological health. Over wintering Antarctic research scientists and astronauts probably also have rigorous routines although they would be in a small community which can regulate mental health.

I'm also reminded of the requirements of people being asked to move to small communities on isolated harsh islands. One would imagine that they would be attractive to people who do well alone, introverts, who work alone and are happy quietly, but they actually want and favour people who like others, need to work with others, who work well in a community and are socially outgoing.

I had the privilege of living in a remote village in the Catskills. I've never missed a place so much! I can attest to the Science of Awe. We need that connection in our lives.