I can’t speak for others, but I do know that I thought I could survive without others. I was completely mistaken and totally unaware of myself. I’m introverted

I can’t speak for others, but I do know that I thought I could survive without others. I was completely mistaken and totally unaware of myself. I’m introverted and well-suited to long stints of being alone, but ultimately that is nothing compared to a lifetime of being alone. When I meet people who can’t articulate why they don’t want kids or a community or whatever, I worry they’re just as clueless as I was. As with anything, I try to remind myself that I’m not an exception. The standard American diet tends to cause illness and disease faster than a whole food, plant based diet for example. I am not an exception to that rule; if I eat that way, I will suffer too. I’m not special. When humans are alone, they tend to die earlier and lead a lower quality of life (particularly later in life though, with evidence of higher quality earlier in life). I’m not an exception, in any case. We all want to believe we’re exceptions. Note: Just skimming through the research and living a socially isolated life has mortality outcomes comparable to being obese. That’s incredible.