Because I seem to be socially maladjusted, my interactions with other people can seem strained at best and non-existent at worst. Last night during a long session at the local coffee establishment with many acquaintances, I felt particularly lonely, and wondered why. My current working theory is that I am tired and overworked, which means I'm unable to focus on anything for long - let alone the social interactions I usually find so taxing.
Could that be why so many of us feel more alone in the cities than residents of quieter towns claim to feel? Maybe not - I already have a theory about that. When we have thousands of people from which to pick and choose our friends, we don't have to be nice to everyone we meet, and end up being snarled at by most of the strangers we encounter. When there are only so many friends to go around, we need them all, and we are nice to everyone, which in turn creates a generally positive feeling in the community.
We have lost our community existence. A friend of mine - a youth worker - said that the basic unit of society used to be the village. Then it was the extended family. Then the nuclear family. Now it is the individual. Soon it will be the fragments of the individual.
Mokalus of Borg
PS - Sometimes, I can hear it emerging already.
PPS - Where will we be left when we can't even form a cohesive whole of ourselves?
1 comment:
What is a blog, a place for lonely people to express themselves. no more blog. That old saying smile and the world smiles with you is sadly true. try it in the city tomorrow smile chat say hello in shops on the street etc. you might end up having a nice day. The individual chooses to be alone. Work less, exercise more. hey move to a village. be lonely, it is part of the human condition and we enjoy feeling sad, revel init infact. while you felt lonely socialising part of you felt strong because you we're unique and contained in your solitude. Socialise with one friend at a time get the chat practice in then try larger groups.
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