It makes sense biologically that we would be programmed to want the company of others. In the past that would have meant more people to protect you, you'd be more likely to be able to find food, you could work more efficiently together to build a shelter, etc. Essentially you'd increase your chances of survival. But now we have hospitals in just about every town if you're hurt, we have cell phones to communicate from anywhere instantly, we have guns to protect ourselves, we have cars to get places quickly, we have endless quantities of entertainment, we have thousands of food options in grocery stores. And while it takes lots of people to make these things happen, all our basic needs are covered (and exceeded) while not even needing to look another human being in the eyes. Beyond work and running errands just about all our face to face interaction has become optional. People have become more distant from one another on a personal level. Our advancement in technology has made it possible to connect from a distance easily, but I feel like far too many people are allowing it to keep them at a distance from others. I can't help but feel that the loneliness that comes from this lack of personal interaction has an overwhelmingly negative impact on the vast majority of people mentally. What do you guys think? Is loneliness a big problem in modern society or should we just accept things the way they are? I know some of you will say "well just go out and socialize more". But this is more about our societal views and actions as a whole rather than on an individual basis. How does society get back to more personal interaction? Or are things ok the way they are now? I also can't help but think the ever increasing suicide rate is somehow correlated to the effects of our increased isolation. Alright enough rambling, just thought I'd put some thoughts out into the world and hopefully some of you can provide some insight and thoughts of your own below.
Makes me think of a meme that shows a group of people walking down the street with thier noses in thier cellphones. It reads: "Here's your zombie apocolypse!" I have noticed at work during lunch and break that other people have thier noses in thier cellphones and nobody talks to one another.
I think loneliness is a huge problem in modern society. Drug abuse and so to speak "mental illnesses" are caused my lack of support or a negative support system. What begins growth and raises awareness is connections. The connections we make every single day with real people, spreading knowledge. Did you know that the world is more conscious than it's ever been before as we know of? Do you know why? Because there is more people in it, we have more people than the world has ever had before, we are constantly growing and more data, energy and information is being created everyday. With the help of the internet it grows stronger and wider and the reach of consciousness is actually astounding. And it's all because of connections. http://bit.ly/2kBS7AO Thats to explain what consciousness is and how its been here all along. But why are we seeing it more and more, because it's growing. It's communication, sharing and openness. Stay open minded without judgement with labels. And see how things unfold.
I see exactly what you mean here. Personally though, and this is my personality trait, not something caused by technology. If I hadn't technology, I'd be alone reading books or playing chess games by myself or other type of mind games and since I've had an interest in electricity, I'd likely be more than happy dedicating my life to studying electricity and electronics. Which, in a way, you could say technology has stopped me from doing that. I've taken to watching Netflix all day or browsing GC half the day and watching YouTube. Electricity and really anything I put my mind to, comes fairly quickly and easily to me, I'm blessed enough to be a quick learner, as in, I don't study and still make A's, all I need is a lecture one time and a demonstration if applicable and it's golden for me. But oddly enough - anything else that's not education related, I have an extremely hard time remembering. I can remember education stuff, but I can't remember anything else. Daily life, my experiences, my time perception is very bad. Science has always fascinated me in one way or another, and I enjoy being alone. But that's me. And I don't mean complete isolation. To have complete isolation, I think, would drive most anyone insane. I have college and work. That's usually enough social time for me, let's put it like that lol. Scientists don't get smart by magic. I believe they get smart because they are capable of learning things more quickly than others, and if not that, then it's because of their hard work at studying and reading books and experimenting. Which takes time and usually you have to be alone to absorb that information, being with others is a distraction. That's why you'll find the most intelligent minds in history are loners. Nikola Tesla and Einstein, for example, were extreme loners.
but i do agree with what you're saying, that lifestyle is not for everyone and some people just kind of feel like everything is offered by other people so they don't have to do anything. The reason why customers can never be nice and put things back! Lol. Not that I mind at all, because I don't, in fact, it keeps me busy and I'm kinda glad they do so thank you in a sense.... LOL!
When you like in an apartment complex do you feel alone? even if you are surrounded by a lot of people living next to you? You mentioned the answer already, that interaction is optional, if people do not want to feel alone then they can interact with the world around them, yet some don't. Be it because of their early development, their uneasiness with their environment, adapting to a new area, etc.. The reason people detach themselves form other is not to protect oneself from another, it is to merely escape reality, how can you escape someone that you share existence with? How are you alone when there are 7+ billion people experiencing this life at the same moment as you? I find it so beautiful, yet so many can't see how they are not alone. Of course you can be alone and feel it, that is not something you can avoid. But sometimes you realize, hey I am not really alone, I have never been alone.
Well I think it's the state of mind of feeling lonely rather than actually not having people around you. What good is it to have hundreds or thousands of people pass you in their car or on the street or in the store if you don't stop and have a conversation or smile at each other. Like I said, it comes down to choices but we can only control what we do and if it isn't reciprocated it can be a bit disappointing.
I'm definitely an introvert and find my creativity and thought process flows much better when I'm alone as well. I do agree that introverts would likely exhibit similar behaviors regardless of our technology. It just seems strange that while we have the capability to be more social than ever overall we've been on the decline in that regard. I think around the early 90s we probably hit the sweet spot between awesome technological achievements and not having it control many of our lives in a sense. But you know what life is pretty damn good right now how things are either way.
I live in stereotypical suburbia. Things are so different now than when I was a kid. Parents text to see if my children can play, instead of a child just going to the friend's house and ringing the doorbell and finding out if a friend can play. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back the other way. I agree there can be loneliness even when we are surrounded by people. I am also an introver. My Meyer Briggs personality is the rarest INFJ. We are the extroverted introvert. People often think I'm an extrovert but I'm very much an introvert. I have to have that time by myself to decompress. When I was a flight attendant I would often work 3-4 days in a row. My first off day was usually spent holed up by myself recharging.
Loners are us nerds who can't get laid for the life of us. Despite the advantages of intellectual stimulation, finding a similar match in today's overstocked world is seemingly a task for solely internet purposes, giving second life validity. Nerds focusing on the image of who they are versus the person who is being that image easily get lost in trying to make others believe a more full version of them exists...Online. Take away internet and more people would still recognize one another without all the pseudonym banter. If robots had sexual reproductive organs by now I'm sure getting laid wouldn't still be an issue for a low self-esteem basket case.
I thini social media has caused huge problems. It seems like younger people (like 18-35) aren't even attempting to curate genuine relationships with their peers. I noticed people jump from one social group to another, readily disregarding the one they deem (in their mind) as less worthy. It's as if life has become a huge competition of who's going to the hottest restraunts, bars, concerts. Checking in, posting photographs. Who's the most fit, their work out routine, their diet. Pretty much a competition to see who's the most social. A person essentially deemed unworthy if they are incapable of providing something to a group (Finances, Good looks, Attractive women, social connections, etc.) I've had times where I was on the "in" crowd, the group of individuals seeming genuine and my friends at the time, all of us partying, taking photos. I found in other situations those same exact people going to great lengths to not associate with me. I even had one of them outright ignore me! He rolled up to a convienence store on a bike, walked right in front of me as I was looking for something to drink, waited in line right in front of me, bought his shit and walked right out! Not even a "Hi, How you doing? What have you been up to?" I've felt this lonelyness, and I think it's due to it being hard to make and/or keep friends. I think it's difficult to build friendships when it's clear to see that many people don't value you as a human being, instead using you for one thing or another, ready to cast you out of their life if you prove to be of no use.
This is the evolution of the human race. I think history shows that change is hard for the older, and easier for the younger... The newest of us, the ones who have grown up in the age of Socail media and technology, THIS is there socializing. I have a 15year old son and he constantly reminds me of the generation gap and how different things are for him vs when I was his age. If this change bothers you, always remind yourself of all the positive things that come from it. I firmly believe the benefits outweigh the cons. I think everything will be ok. It's best we embrace the change but never forget our past and how we got here.
It's another lonely evening And another lonely town But I ain't too young to worry And I ain't too old to cry When a woman gets me down Got another empty bottle And another empty bed Ain't too young to admit it And I'm not too old to lie I'm just another empty head That's why I'm lonely I'm so lonely But I know what I'm gonna do I'm gonna ride on Ride on
As I've gotten older (I'm 59) I've grown to appreciate the value of solitude, and just being entertained by one's own thoughts.
im not really one who likes haveing a lot of people around...ive been alone a long time now and im happy as fuck
I'm in my early 30's and I've said this about the 90's a couple times as well. It wasn't even a particularly stable time in my personal life, but I felt a sense of sanity in humanity that I feel is lost now. If not lost, it has changed and morphed so much that it is no longer perceived by me, and I'm not that old yet. Very well said. I've lived in concrete jungles where people live on top of each other, yet in bars and restaurants they are mostly on the phone. In public areas in general silence is practiced. Obviously, we don't want chatter boxes and silence can be preferred at times. What sticks out to me however, is that it is silence almost always, unless someone is causing a public disorder. I should perhaps add, I've noticed this detachment more in the US North than the South.
Yeah gotta agree with that last part being someone who lives in the north east but has visited the south a few times, the people down there have been so much friendlier in general. I try to do my part in being a friendly to people at least.