The case for social(izing) time
“Spend more time with other people”. “Spend more time by yourself”. “Spend time wisely and divide it between your own company and others”.
Does any of these rules work? It depends on what is viewed as survival, which can be defined as holding on to as much time as possible.
Every now and then headlines are hit by the story of a child lost and then found alive in the depths of nature or civilisation (forest, jungle, big city). There is a common thread: adoption by one or several creatures, human or not, whose individual life is part of a consistent social structure. Non-mammals, oversized mammals or marine ones are excluded of course. If there are any stories of humans saved and brought up by ants, whales or elephants please let us know.
Preservation of life made possible by social interaction does not stop at infancy level. At each major turn, someone else (preferably more than one) is needed: to lend a hand or an ear, to pull out of a hole, physical or not, to pull back from the edge, again physical or not.
Social time, defined as time spent with others rather than within the confines of one’s mind or dwelling, is more valuable than it seems.
True, certain professions require longer periods of being alone and not feeling lonely.
Loneliness is the gate to boredom and suffering, being alone on purpose is a pre-requisite of completing certain tasks, like writing. The latter is an interlude, rather than a continuous state. Once over, return to social time becomes a natural act. Ignore the call and it will come back as neurosis or howling despair.
Risking a truism, it’s the balance that counts. Proponents of ‘me time’ are admirable in their efforts to address a perceived imbalance. Withdrawal from social time is a good recipe. If it was foolishly spent time, by all means.
Who is to tell though whether it’s a good idea or not? We need even more time by ourselves to find out, and that’s quite a paradox. Like all things time-related, the deeper we go, more puzzling questions enter the stage.
