Missed Opportunities and shallowness

I've landed on something big here. This blog is inspired by a phone conversation I had with Chris tonight. What is wrong with our society in the ways that we connect with others? Why is it that it is so hard to reach out to people? Why is it so hard to say "hi" and to start a conversation? Are we too busy? Do we not care? Do we already know enough people? Do we have insecurities that make us scared to try to connect because that means being vulnerable? We let so many opportunities slip by us!

If you have ever felt alone, if you have ever wanted to have more of a connect with another human being, if you are intrigued to meet new people and learn new things; than you can relate to this. And I hope you CAN relate to this. If not, you're probably lying to yourself. Because I want to feel less alone, and connect more, and meet new people, and learn new things. I want to say hi to someone and not feel rushed about it. I remember the first day of my intro to Philosophy class, the teacher asked us to say who we are, where we are from, and why we are there. The class pretty much answered like I did, "Hi, I'm Kevin, I'm from Somerset, MA, and I'm here because I want to learn more about Philosophy. When we were done, the teacher smiled and said, "Those were all shitty answers, and I expect better answers the rest of the semester." I LOVED THIS! Let's dig deeper! If you meet someone, let's ask more than these questions. Let's replace the "whats up?", "hows it goin?" "whatcha up to today?" "whats your major?" with better questions. Let's ask people "what are you biggest fears?" "what are your biggest dreams?" "what fascinates you?" "how do you want to change the world?".

Let's be more real. Let's be more open and honest. If we are scared to do this, then that's coming from our own personal insecurities, and that's something we need to deal with. I know it might not be easy, but I know it can be done. We struggle so much, and I wish we could attack those fears, so they don't own us. Please notice I'm including myself on this, because I know I have flaws too.

I also am frustrated with the role social media plays in all of this. It's not healthy that it's easier for us to talk about things over the internet than face to face. Why is it that I can have amazing conversations with people on Facebook, but if we hang out, the conversation goes nowhere? It's good that these conversations are happing, but they need to be REAL! If you feel alone after having a good conversation on the internet; then I'm not surprised. Sometimes we need an actual hug instead of someone writing *hug*. Sometimes we need to feel arms wrap around us, and a shoulder to cry on, and we just need to squeeze tight. Sometimes we need to see the real emotions of a face rather than just icons. Because real emotions allow us to know that we are cared about, loved, that we matter to someone. You don't get that from a fucking frown or smiley face icon.

Let's capture this desire and put it to use. Let's get to know each other better. This is where so much good can start from.

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