4 ms·

I will never stop saying that I think we are continuing down a path of reduced human interaction and community that is leading generations to massive depression

I will never stop saying that I think we are continuing down a path of reduced human interaction and community that is leading generations to massive depression, loneliness, and anger without feeling like there is anything to do about it. We got rid of church, because religion is seen as bunk. Now many people don't have anything to "mandate" they come in contact with people outside their home or workplace. Then we got rid of seeing people in person. Kids are growing up on social media, discord, and other tools that more than ever puts people away from each other physically, not seeing faces, not interacting in a normal human way. (As a gamer since 15 and now more than double that. At least we had LAN parties in my day). Then we got rid of having to go out anywhere for anything. Renting movies? Buying anything? Even grocery shopping! It can all be delivered to your shelter-pod. And now, for millions, we are removing the need for human interaction in the workplace. This is the stuff of dystopian movies. Yes, WFH is great for several reasons, and I enjoy some of them. It doesn't mean I ignore the bad effects.

mnd999 4y ago
Indeed, I grew up with graduate, move to a city, go in everyday, socialise with coworkers, make friends, go to meet ups make more friends. Now it’s, graduate, stay at home, zoom in. Where is the fun in that?
strikelaserclaw 4y ago
humans always choose the path of least resistance, without any thought to long term implications.
wahnfrieden 4y ago
human interaction in communities of your choosing (such as choosing your church from your example) is nice, forced interaction under coercion (lose your livelihood without safety net unless you come to the office) by employers/government with communities not of your choosing (your workplace peers) is the one that sounds dystopian to me. only one of those widely affords the freedom to walk away or refuse an order unrelated to your actual task at hand
manuelabeledo 4y ago
> This is the stuff of dystopian movies. Forcing people to do things they don't want or enjoy _is_ dystopian, and definitely unhealthy. If a community relies on forced interaction, perhaps it is not a community at all, just a bunch of captive people in a sort of abusive relationship.
- unethical_ban 4y ago
  Working out is hard, but we should do it even if it is strenuous, because it is good for our physical fitness. Learning basics of history, chemistry, etc. is good even if it is boring, because it enhances our understanding of the world. And interacting with people in person is good even if it is sometimes annoying, because humans are social creatures. To ignore the benefits of social interaction is an extremist view. To think that it is healthy that millions of people glamorize isolation and laugh along at how annoying it is to talk to people, is to cheer on a very unhealthy trend. As I alluded, I think the pendulum will swing back toward normality in time. We are a social species, and we need in-person social interactions. If one feels like interacting with the grocer is an undue, unnecessary burden, then they are as mentally unhealthy as someone who can't walk a flight of stairs is physically unhealthy.
  - zmxz 4y ago
    "Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times" We're in the phase 4 - weak ones creating hard times. There's so many spoiled people who can't appreciate anything that requires an iota of hard work. It's the time we actually give it up and let them lead us to failure. Then, out of hardship - new generation will emerge that will pull us up.
    - manuelabeledo 4y ago
      Does this even make sense? If we were in the midst of the industrial revolution, would you be calling those speaking out for shorter work days and a better work-life balance, "weak"? Where did you draw the line in the first place?
gorbachev 4y ago
It should never be either or situation, because people's preferences differ. What you're saying is not universally true. It is true for some people. probably a majority, but it is not true for many, many people. Personally I have absolutely no problem whatsoever never leaving my home for work. I could probably spend weeks entirely on my own and be absolutely delighted. I understand that's not how a lot of people, all of my family included, would want to live, but I would.
hcarvalhoalves 4y ago
The actual dystopia: your main/only way of socialising is by being an employee.
idiotsecant 4y ago
It's so interesting watching the portion of the world that thrives on human interaction struggle to exist in a world where human interaction is not forced on everyone. Believe it or not a portion of the human population (a large portion) has felt this strain for their *entire lives* because they live in a world where frequent and varied social interaction, an activity that is quite draining for them, is required to be a successful member of society. Imagine living with this unpleasant world for one or two years and viewing it as the decline of human civilization. Meanwhile, all these people have dealt with an analogous situation for an entire lifetime and have been told that their stress and anxiety is a character flaw to be overcome with self-training and behavior masking. Maybe try some of those?
SantalBlush 4y ago
I've never had a workplace give a damn about my mental health beyond its effect on my job performance. They never asked me if my daily commute was a time-wasting nightmare or if I came home from the office each day mentally exhausted from putting on a performance at each trivial meeting. Give me a break.

mnd999 4y ago

Indeed, I grew up with graduate, move to a city, go in everyday, socialise with coworkers, make friends, go to meet ups make more friends. Now it’s, graduate, stay at home, zoom in. Where is the fun in that?

strikelaserclaw 4y ago

humans always choose the path of least resistance, without any thought to long term implications.

wahnfrieden 4y ago

human interaction in communities of your choosing (such as choosing your church from your example) is nice, forced interaction under coercion (lose your livelihood without safety net unless you come to the office) by employers/government with communities not of your choosing (your workplace peers) is the one that sounds dystopian to me. only one of those widely affords the freedom to walk away or refuse an order unrelated to your actual task at hand

manuelabeledo 4y ago

> This is the stuff of dystopian movies. Forcing people to do things they don't want or enjoy _is_ dystopian, and definitely unhealthy. If a community relies on forced interaction, perhaps it is not a community at all, just a bunch of captive people in a sort of abusive relationship.

unethical_ban 4y ago
Working out is hard, but we should do it even if it is strenuous, because it is good for our physical fitness. Learning basics of history, chemistry, etc. is good even if it is boring, because it enhances our understanding of the world. And interacting with people in person is good even if it is sometimes annoying, because humans are social creatures. To ignore the benefits of social interaction is an extremist view. To think that it is healthy that millions of people glamorize isolation and laugh along at how annoying it is to talk to people, is to cheer on a very unhealthy trend. As I alluded, I think the pendulum will swing back toward normality in time. We are a social species, and we need in-person social interactions. If one feels like interacting with the grocer is an undue, unnecessary burden, then they are as mentally unhealthy as someone who can't walk a flight of stairs is physically unhealthy.
- zmxz 4y ago
  "Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times" We're in the phase 4 - weak ones creating hard times. There's so many spoiled people who can't appreciate anything that requires an iota of hard work. It's the time we actually give it up and let them lead us to failure. Then, out of hardship - new generation will emerge that will pull us up.
  - manuelabeledo 4y ago
    Does this even make sense? If we were in the midst of the industrial revolution, would you be calling those speaking out for shorter work days and a better work-life balance, "weak"? Where did you draw the line in the first place?

gorbachev 4y ago

It should never be either or situation, because people's preferences differ. What you're saying is not universally true. It is true for some people. probably a majority, but it is not true for many, many people. Personally I have absolutely no problem whatsoever never leaving my home for work. I could probably spend weeks entirely on my own and be absolutely delighted. I understand that's not how a lot of people, all of my family included, would want to live, but I would.

hcarvalhoalves 4y ago

The actual dystopia: your main/only way of socialising is by being an employee.

idiotsecant 4y ago

It's so interesting watching the portion of the world that thrives on human interaction struggle to exist in a world where human interaction is not forced on everyone. Believe it or not a portion of the human population (a large portion) has felt this strain for their *entire lives* because they live in a world where frequent and varied social interaction, an activity that is quite draining for them, is required to be a successful member of society. Imagine living with this unpleasant world for one or two years and viewing it as the decline of human civilization. Meanwhile, all these people have dealt with an analogous situation for an entire lifetime and have been told that their stress and anxiety is a character flaw to be overcome with self-training and behavior masking. Maybe try some of those?

SantalBlush 4y ago

I've never had a workplace give a damn about my mental health beyond its effect on my job performance. They never asked me if my daily commute was a time-wasting nightmare or if I came home from the office each day mentally exhausted from putting on a performance at each trivial meeting. Give me a break.