De And Re-Atomization

I would be less than honest than to say that the whole situation of the last two months has made me very conscious of the fact that I have less and less use for people and socialization in my life.

I am not quite sure when the realization occurred - perhaps it is has only been more recently, with the potentially incoming event of some level or form of "reopening" and the opportunity to go places that have been forbidden for the last six weeks.  But now that the possibility exists that things may be open, I do not find least bit of need to go there and start doing things - or more importantly, seeing people.

Work is the biggest test case - after all, that is where most of us spend most of our time.  And a great deal of "work" involves the being around and co-ordinating of tasks with other individuals which itself involves a certain level of socialization.  Which I find I am not missing very much and (quite probably) makes me a more productive employee overall.

What I am finding is this idea of "enforced socialization" - the socialization that occurs when I am out in the world which, if I needed to do something like go to work or go to a store or go out to a restaurant - is a thing that I do not miss at all.

I like socialization - when it is people that I actually want to socialize with, my friends or family or my shared interest folks (like Iai or Highland Games or Rabbit Volunteers).  In that context, it provides entertainment, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging.  But this is always my choice of these people, not the enforced choice of others that are in a space I am in.

I think the great push to "get out" is driven as much from a need to get back to work or a need to get out than the inherent desire to be back out in the population, to be around other people.  For some people, most likely the extroverts among us, sure.  For the others, it is only a byproduct of the greater desire and need to be "out".

What are the implications of this for the world going forward?  There will be a segment of the population that continues on just as they did before with going out and being out among everybody.  But there will be another segment - growing, I suspect - of individuals that have found that they can do a great deal of what they did previously in person over the InterWeb and remotely without having to be out in a larger population.

This also has implications for group activities (really - given all that we have been through, who can honestly say that a concert, movie, or sporting event with thousands of people is really a good idea?) and charitable works (unless you are committed to the cause, why risk it?).  Even religious organizations are going to have to walk through - whenever the all clear is given - about why, since they have spent the last X amount of weeks worshiping remotely, there is a clear and present need to be gathering all together again?  Have not we been "all together" before this period of time?

We have spent a great deal of time atomizing society over the last few months.  I suspect we will see a greater movement for maintaining aspects of that atomization and greater resistance by some to become as socially re-atomized as they were before.