Summary

The article presents a critical perspective on the nature of socializing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that the enforced social distancing has revealed the superfluousness of unnecessary social interactions.

Abstract

The author of the article argues that the pandemic has exposed the deceptive nature of excessive socializing, which was once considered a norm. With the world on pause and the future uncertain, people are prompted to reassess the importance they place on social interactions. The author posits that life post-pandemic will inevitably change, with survivors reevaluating their lifestyles. The virus, initially dismissed as a localized issue, has disrupted the illusion of a socializing utopia and highlighted the possibility of living a fulfilling life without the need for gratuitous social engagements. The article emphasizes that happiness derived from meaningful connections, rather than an abundance of acquaintances, is more genuine. While the author identifies as an extrovert and does not dismiss socializing altogether, they caution against the overemphasis on unnecessary social activities, arguing that the pandemic has ironically demonstrated the benefits of social distancing and the potential harm of excessive socializing.

Opinions

Socializing has been inflated as a necessity for happiness, which is a misconception.
The pandemic has served as a lesson to reconsider the value and necessity of social interactions.
True happiness can be found in a few genuine friendships rather than a multitude of superficial connections.
The author believes that the pandemic has ironically saved people from the negative impacts of needless socializing.
The emphasis on social distancing during the pandemic has highlighted the redundancy of certain social norms.
The author suggests that the right approach to socializing should be balanced and mindful, avoiding overindulgence in unnecessary social events.
The pandemic has inadvertently taught the importance of prioritizing essential social interactions over non-essential ones.
The article implies that the enforced period of reduced social interaction has psychological implications, both positive and negative, but ultimately leans towards the benefits of reduced unnecessary socializing.

Socializing: A Dilemma

I hate to break it to you but all this ‘needless’ socializing is nothing but a deception.

Social distancing is the new norm.

The whole world is at a standstill and with no blueprint for the future, all this fuss about socializing is about to die, if it has not already been dead. So, I guess it’s the time to rethink our priorities as we are finally getting to know the true value of socializing.

Doesn’t matter, when the world will return to normality, people are going to reconsider the way they had been living their lives. At least the sane ones. Because life after this pandemic is going to be different, for sure.

A virus, about which none of us has a clue a couple of months ago, has now tarnished all this utopia of socializing and has left no stone unturned to kill this gratuitous buzz around socializing.

Back in December, when this virus was confined to a single province in China, the rest of the world was still in this quagmire of ‘socializing’. People continued their endeavors of avoidable social interactions and thought it was okay to follow this practice. Ignorant of their future, they made the wrong call.

As a result, they end up paying a heavy price. However, those who have survived(or will survive) are now giving it a second thought.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that you don’t necessarily need to socialize to live a happy and a healthy life. Meeting all these people, without any need or necessity, is not going to make you happy. It’s just an illusion of happiness that you get through all this noisy experience of socializing.

I know what you must be thinking. No, I am not an introvert. I’m an outgoing person, who love spending (or wasting his time), being with his friends, having a discussion over a cup of tea or whatever.

Although I believe that these are just labels and being an extrovert or an introvert doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, yet for the sake of your satisfaction, I can be categorized as an extrovert.

Moreover, I’m not against socializing either. However, the key word here is ‘unnecessary’.

There is no harm in socializing with others, meeting people, having a conversation with your friends, enjoying your weekends with your buddies etc. But this needless emphasis on socializing is not right. Not at all.

The irony is this virus has somehow took that ‘unnecessary’ thing quite seriously, compelling the masses to think about only getting out of their abodes or meet with other people, when needed. In the backdrop of all this superfluous debate over the significance of socializing, this idea of social distancing is somewhat ironic.

And if one has the desire to look even deeper, social distancing haven’t led people to any harm rather it has saved them. Again, it’s ironic.

Yeah, the context does matter. In the times of a pandemic, normality is the last thing, one can ask for. And my arguments may not be valid in the normal times, where social distancing is almost impossible. But still, the key is to weigh the importance of socializing against its impacts.

Like what good socializing has done to us, other than paralyzing our thinking processes and making us believe that we need to interact with all these people for no reason at all to keep ourselves happy. Just because we need to pass our leisure time, it should not compel us to make all these unnecessary, unneeded social relations.

Let me assure you that you don’t need thousand friends, who don’t even know you, to be happy. You can be happy with two friends, who know you and are honest with you.

It is just an illusion and this pandemic has taught us, why all this unnecessary socializing is counter productive for us all. This pandemic has also hinted that all these needless parties, unneeded dinners are not going to take all that stress away from ourselves. Instead, socializing is just a mirage, it just keeps us running away from our reality.

I get that for some individuals, refraining from all these social interactions can cause problems, psychological ones. No denying that. But again, I am talking about the redundant social interactions, which does no good whatsoever.

It’s quite worrying that it took a pandemic to teach people to avoid unneeded social interactions and rectify their perspective about this dilemma of socializing. But whatever it may take, the important thing is the prevalence of the right mindset; do socialize but don’t overdo it.