Passage One
Last week, a friend from Colorado, who I first met in Thailand, came into town for his sister’s graduation. He called me and we met up in a bar. It was one of the best nights of the summer.
We retold stories from our time in Thailand, drank a couple beers, and just reflected in the presence of one another. And the best part: he was doing well, succeeding in life while pursuing his dreams.
On my way home from seeing him on his last night in town, I got a little depressed. I just forgot how much fun I had with him and why he made my Thailand experience so awesome. And that of course got me missing all my friends: the ones still in Santa Clara, the ones following their music careers, the ones living in Portland that I have just been too dumb to contact. I have just been so caught up in writing, studying for the GRE, lounging about my house, that I haven’t made the effort that I certainly should have.
Sometimes, we get so absorbed in our own lives that we forget what makes our lives worth living. Humans are social creatures. It is in our DNA. Evolutionary psychologists suggest that because we relied upon social groups in primitive times to survive, we have a negative biological reaction to loneliness today.
So go out there and contact a friend you haven’t talked to for a while. If nothing else, just check in to see how they’re doing. Because even if you haven’t spoken for a while, I’m certain that they are thinking of you.
What is a cause of humans' negative biological reaction to loneliness?