Totally and + 1 for thank god it's over!! Also, no matter how fun being out in the real world is, it comes with a certain level of discomfort and friction, so scrolling on your sofa and feeling "connected" to others that way looked rather tempting.
Such a great piece. I think an under-discussed element of the shift toward optimization culture in the 2020s was the pandemic. For two years, we were told to stay inside and focus on our health. Even once the pandemic ended, there was still never a clear “okay, it’s finally over!” moment — it was really up to each individual to make a decision. So I think that attitude subconsciously lingered in the years following, until we realize how much we were missing out on.
I agree! I think a huge part of the reason the culture of self-optimization left us completely disillusioned is because we’ve completely hit the extreme of not giving ourselves a break to do “nothing”. When we’re bored, we become creative and we have space for genuine connection. We’ve completely lost all of that. It’s a great piece - thanks for sharing :)
Love that you are going out solo! It feels like lots of people are craving connection but post pandemic haven’t necessarily rebuilt their community that’s aligned with their going out interests.
OMG it's literally my fave thing to do, especially concerts - always meet really interesting people too :) Made some incredible friends in book clubs, game nights etc too
Yesss - thank God. Agree with Jay in the comments here too — it’s essentially taken us 6 years to break out of our “Covid pod” mentality.
Totally and + 1 for thank god it's over!! Also, no matter how fun being out in the real world is, it comes with a certain level of discomfort and friction, so scrolling on your sofa and feeling "connected" to others that way looked rather tempting.
very true. Great work -- keep it coming.
Such a great piece. I think an under-discussed element of the shift toward optimization culture in the 2020s was the pandemic. For two years, we were told to stay inside and focus on our health. Even once the pandemic ended, there was still never a clear “okay, it’s finally over!” moment — it was really up to each individual to make a decision. So I think that attitude subconsciously lingered in the years following, until we realize how much we were missing out on.
I love this, Jay!! The lack of "closure" on the pandemic definitely played a part in how long it took for people to come back.
I agree! I think a huge part of the reason the culture of self-optimization left us completely disillusioned is because we’ve completely hit the extreme of not giving ourselves a break to do “nothing”. When we’re bored, we become creative and we have space for genuine connection. We’ve completely lost all of that. It’s a great piece - thanks for sharing :)
I love Eugenia!!! Totally - the lost art of being bored has done a number on us :(
Very true! I think it's time to find a balance.
exactly!!
Love that you are going out solo! It feels like lots of people are craving connection but post pandemic haven’t necessarily rebuilt their community that’s aligned with their going out interests.
OMG it's literally my fave thing to do, especially concerts - always meet really interesting people too :) Made some incredible friends in book clubs, game nights etc too
This is the Stars alignment!!
YES!! I need to hear more about this!!
Absolutely beloved I got you!
Had me at the title