Alone Is Not Always Lonely
It seems like social media, pandemics, and modern life have made us isolated people, more alienated from each other than ever, and enjoying mainly our own company. People’s conversation time has been declining for nearly thirty years, and even video calls cannot reverse the trend. It appears that communicating with other people is simply not appealing to more and more people. But considering the fact that we are growing increasingly narcissistic, this trend should not surprise us. In the future, we can expect it to continue, and even accelerate.
People are indifferent to other people because they are becoming more goal-oriented. They choose their goals in life and exert themselves to achieve them. This is a positive development that will lead people to pursue their life’s purpose.
I, too, feel that I would rather stay in my room and spend my time the way I like to than to socialize with people who largely do not interest me. I have my books; I have science news and other news that I watch; and I have various other interests.
I can sympathize with people who feel they do not need other people to satisfy their social needs, since we are all becoming increasingly focused on ourselves. The need for reciprocity, for approval from society, is diminishing in many people.
However, it is not that people are becoming increasingly anti-social. They are becoming increasingly fastidious, and do not want to waste their time or energy on futile connections that bring them no real benefit.
People are indifferent to other people because they are becoming more goal-oriented. They choose their goals in life and exert themselves to achieve them. This is a positive development that will lead people to pursue their life’s purpose.
As for me, despite my reclusive nature, my life’s purpose requires that I connect with as many people as possible, and on the deepest possible level: in my heart. To achieve my goal, I am willing to connect with any person and embrace any person. But were it not for my goal, I would still be happily secluded in my room as I was before I began to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah around the world, which is my life’s purpose and for which I will happily make any sacrifice.
And as I am, so are many other people becoming increasingly goal oriented. It is an evolution in humanity, and not regression. In the future, we will see more and more people connecting around common goals and avoiding casual interactions, which will seem pointless to them. They will be living on two levels: On the superficial level they will appear aloof or reserved, but on the deeper level they will be deeply connected to those who share their goals.