The Vanishing Ring of Relationships

An introvert's nightmare

Is it more difficult to make friends now than it was before?

It’s hard to say but I think so.

I’m reminded of a bit by Jerry Seinfeld many years back:

As kids, you can be friends for almost any reason. Kids are very open-minded.

But as you get older, you become more sceptical, or more jaded, or more tired, so you don’t entertain the idea of new friends as easily. I’m sort of biased here because I’m pretty introverted so I can imagine for extroverts, that might not be their experience.

But I think as a whole, we do tend to live in a more antisocial society nowadays. I see a lot of older people who regularly talk to others in the elevator or on the street because it’s always been a normal part of their life, while younger people almost always avoid eye contact and just flick through their phone.

I must admit that I used to find it weird when people would randomly talk to me in the elevator, or on the street, or at a restaurant. I’d be thinking,