This is more of a philosophical musing, but your comment did make me think-- is it also a reflection of the shallowness of a lot of contemporary social events a

This is more of a philosophical musing, but your comment did make me think-- is it also a reflection of the shallowness of a lot of contemporary social events and rituals? People used to get together, do a barn raising, work together, have debutante balls, welcome boys into manhood, have community spiritual occasions and rituals, and so on. A lot of modern social events are lacking in the meaning, anticipation, and social depth as before-- some people who crave it most still go out, but maybe it just isn't meaningful enough to pull in those whose personality doesn't lean towards social butterfly-ness.