Only caught the last 10 or 15 minutes of this interview this morning after taking my kids to school, but I thought it was pretty interesting and pertinent. About 4 years ago I joined my local...
Only caught the last 10 or 15 minutes of this interview this morning after taking my kids to school, but I thought it was pretty interesting and pertinent.
About 4 years ago I joined my local neighborhood club, which really exposed me to a great many different thoughts. Granted, a large part of that was elderly people and their concerns, but I believe that many of their problems are legitimate and a part of a greater whole.
I'm not really sure where to go with this starter comment other than the fact that getting involved and putting myself out there in the greater world as I have has really benefited me and helped me focus my efforts on improvements I can do to my local community. I often hate feeling obligated to go, but I do anyway and it's never too bad and we usually accomplish something of some substance, even if it feels like a burden.
There is an excellent book about the US, Bowling Alone, about how participating in social groups outside the household, school or work has been a declining trend. It is frequently assigned in...
There is an excellent book about the US, Bowling Alone, about how participating in social groups outside the household, school or work has been a declining trend. It is frequently assigned in sociology classes.
I make a point of participating in a couple of groups on a regular basis even though it can be difficult to make the effort.
I'll check it out, thanks for the suggestion. Even though I've been a major part of my community association for 4 years, it's damn hard to get myself to go and I end-up dreading it every month...
I'll check it out, thanks for the suggestion.
Even though I've been a major part of my community association for 4 years, it's damn hard to get myself to go and I end-up dreading it every month and consistently looking forward to the months we have off. That said, I feel like we're really doing something for our neighborhood, even if it's minimal.
The question really is: How do we turn it around? I know it's hard to take a break from social media and all the forms of Entertainment we have these days, so I don't really know what to do about it. I'm hoping we'll see a major zeitgeist shift in the next 10-years away from the alienation and constant distraction we have now; I know I can't be the only one sick of it, but I'm hoping that other people recognize it to and take steps to move in the other direction.. Just over a month ago I decided to get rid of my second monitor on my desktop computer because I felt like it was a constant distraction and wasn't really enriching my life anymore; it makes things slightly more difficult when I could use two monitors, but I feel like I've regained some focus. Sorry, bit of a digression there, but it feels like we can't use social media to un-social media our way out of this.
I think a big thing is, I don't even know what kind of clubs are out there or really what they do. I've always grown up knowing about the Moose Lodge, the Elks Lodge, the Lions Club, the Jaycees,...
I think a big thing is, I don't even know what kind of clubs are out there or really what they do. I've always grown up knowing about the Moose Lodge, the Elks Lodge, the Lions Club, the Jaycees, etc. But I couldn't tell you anything about any of them or what makes them different from one another.
One thing I have started doing is playing pick up pickleball with my local rec and parks and it's been awesome. I look forward to going every week, I meet new people and we all have a great time. I was pretty anti pickleball a couple of years ago when it started getting big. Mostly because I read articles about old people bullying kids out of parks by taking it over for pickleball. But I really do enjoy playing. It helps that I have my heat friend to go with every week, as I probably wouldn't go consistently on my own. But it's given me something to do outside of the house when I'd probably just be sitting at home doomscrolling by myself instead.
Me and a few other dads meetup every other night for game night at a local pub. The alternating weeks I meet up with a bunch of other neighborhood guys for drinking whiskey of varying quality...
Me and a few other dads meetup every other night for game night at a local pub. The alternating weeks I meet up with a bunch of other neighborhood guys for drinking whiskey of varying quality while watching comedians on youtube and making rude jokes to each other. I also help coach my son's NICA MTB team. 2 years ago, I hardly went out or socialized beyond kids bday parties. Gotta say, I really look forward to socializing, having a drink, playing a game, riding my bike, making fart jokes. I feel like my stress levels have gone down and I've regained some of my sanity.
Here in Korea, “clubs” are fairly common. My wife is in at least four or five that she meets with regularly. Many of them began as classes or meetups aver Zoom, and some of them still continue to...
Here in Korea, “clubs” are fairly common. My wife is in at least four or five that she meets with regularly. Many of them began as classes or meetups aver Zoom, and some of them still continue to meet that way, at least some of the time. I have been a loner for so long, and have been wanting to socialize more. Maybe it’s time to test the waters.
Only caught the last 10 or 15 minutes of this interview this morning after taking my kids to school, but I thought it was pretty interesting and pertinent.
About 4 years ago I joined my local neighborhood club, which really exposed me to a great many different thoughts. Granted, a large part of that was elderly people and their concerns, but I believe that many of their problems are legitimate and a part of a greater whole.
I'm not really sure where to go with this starter comment other than the fact that getting involved and putting myself out there in the greater world as I have has really benefited me and helped me focus my efforts on improvements I can do to my local community. I often hate feeling obligated to go, but I do anyway and it's never too bad and we usually accomplish something of some substance, even if it feels like a burden.
There is an excellent book about the US, Bowling Alone, about how participating in social groups outside the household, school or work has been a declining trend. It is frequently assigned in sociology classes.
I make a point of participating in a couple of groups on a regular basis even though it can be difficult to make the effort.
I'll check it out, thanks for the suggestion.
Even though I've been a major part of my community association for 4 years, it's damn hard to get myself to go and I end-up dreading it every month and consistently looking forward to the months we have off. That said, I feel like we're really doing something for our neighborhood, even if it's minimal.
The question really is: How do we turn it around? I know it's hard to take a break from social media and all the forms of Entertainment we have these days, so I don't really know what to do about it. I'm hoping we'll see a major zeitgeist shift in the next 10-years away from the alienation and constant distraction we have now; I know I can't be the only one sick of it, but I'm hoping that other people recognize it to and take steps to move in the other direction.. Just over a month ago I decided to get rid of my second monitor on my desktop computer because I felt like it was a constant distraction and wasn't really enriching my life anymore; it makes things slightly more difficult when I could use two monitors, but I feel like I've regained some focus. Sorry, bit of a digression there, but it feels like we can't use social media to un-social media our way out of this.
I think a big thing is, I don't even know what kind of clubs are out there or really what they do. I've always grown up knowing about the Moose Lodge, the Elks Lodge, the Lions Club, the Jaycees, etc. But I couldn't tell you anything about any of them or what makes them different from one another.
One thing I have started doing is playing pick up pickleball with my local rec and parks and it's been awesome. I look forward to going every week, I meet new people and we all have a great time. I was pretty anti pickleball a couple of years ago when it started getting big. Mostly because I read articles about old people bullying kids out of parks by taking it over for pickleball. But I really do enjoy playing. It helps that I have my heat friend to go with every week, as I probably wouldn't go consistently on my own. But it's given me something to do outside of the house when I'd probably just be sitting at home doomscrolling by myself instead.
Me and a few other dads meetup every other night for game night at a local pub. The alternating weeks I meet up with a bunch of other neighborhood guys for drinking whiskey of varying quality while watching comedians on youtube and making rude jokes to each other. I also help coach my son's NICA MTB team. 2 years ago, I hardly went out or socialized beyond kids bday parties. Gotta say, I really look forward to socializing, having a drink, playing a game, riding my bike, making fart jokes. I feel like my stress levels have gone down and I've regained some of my sanity.
Here in Korea, “clubs” are fairly common. My wife is in at least four or five that she meets with regularly. Many of them began as classes or meetups aver Zoom, and some of them still continue to meet that way, at least some of the time. I have been a loner for so long, and have been wanting to socialize more. Maybe it’s time to test the waters.