Conundrum

[TromboneAl]

Sorry to hear that, Marathoner.

 

[Amethyst]

" 'Blessed are the cheesemakers.' Wot's so special about the cheesemakers?"
(Life of Brian)

A.

, cheesemaking, .

 

[SecondCor521]

Khan, I just wanted to say that I too am an extreme introvert and what you've written here makes a lot of sense to me. I have to deal with colleagues at work, my parents, and my kids, but when I have a choice, I'm also by myself 99% of the time.

Most people, being more extroverted than you and I, will try to explain to you why making the effort with friends is worth it, and how you can solve that. Several examples of that on this thread. My mother, being an extreme extrovert, tries to explain to me the value of friendship and how I can meet more people.

Yes, friends are a good thing to have and there are advantages, especially when one hits really rough times. That being said, I think it should be left up to each person (including you and me) to decide how much they value friendship and make their own decisions about how much social interaction they want. It is unusual to be extremely introverted, but it is not necessarily unhealthy or lead to Kazinski-like behavior.

I also find, like you, that the people I seem to get along with better aren't what society considers typical. As a single 42 year old guy, for example, forming friendships with 25-35 year old women is tricky -- if they're married or in a relationship, the guy usually isn't secure enough to deal with that. If they're not in a relationship, they're almost always wanting one or suspicious that I want one.

So I say consider the possible advantages and disadvantages of friends (either net or IRL) to *you*, make your decision about what level of social interaction you want, then be yourself and tell the rest of the world to mind their own business.

HTH,

2Cor521

 

[Amethyst]

I also find, like you, that the people I seem to get along with better aren't what society considers typical. As a single 42 year old guy, for example, forming friendships with 25-35 year old women is tricky
2Cor521

Yeah, it works the other way 'round too. I am finally old enough that young men can be friends with me just because we share interests, and nobody else gets embarrassed, suspicious, or jealous.

Amethyst

 

[Nords]

As a [-]single 42 year old[/-] guy, for example, forming friendships with [-]25-35 year old[/-] women is tricky -- [-]if they're married or in a relationship, [/-]the guy usually isn't secure enough to deal with that.

Fixed it for all of us guys.