Seclusion: Overcoming Social Isolation (satire)

Since social isolation causes psychological pain, another question must be addressed: "Why do seemingly normal people isolate themselves from society?"

Back on October 10, 2003 at 2:55 AM I wrote:

Seclusion is necessary, for 25% of our lives - since each of us do need time alone to reflect on their lives. To be in the presence of others for extended periods of time, one would have to give up a lot of privacy. As well, a highly socialized person would feel comfortable in the presence of other people.

However, a person who spends more than 50% of his time alone values his privacy. Of course, he is never alone totally since he will have to interact with merchants, his landlord, and even his own family.

Most likely, he may suffer from being alone, socially isolated from other people.

Overall, I wish to spend more time with people I have grown to love, and to learn to respect those of them who have caused me the most pain, since usually they turn out to be the most beloved of all the people to whom I have bonded.

Update: January 8, 2014 at 2006H

Few people can readily adapt to social isolation without suffering depression. I learned that knowing people care actually helped me recover.

Over the past decade, I have learned to respect my family.

It turns out that most the pain I attributed to my family was self-inflicted, being regret at not being able to live up to unrealistic expectations that arose in response to not being told what those expectations are.

Today, I have chosen one realistic expectation of myself, which is keep my expectations low enough to meet the demand of the day.

While most of my time is still spent alone, it is well spent outside the confines of my own home.

As a result, I feel that seclusion is time well spent being alone to reflect on my life. It also has become easier to spend the other 75% of my time in the presence of other people.

Even so, I only a little privacy over the past decade.

Of course, the lowest part of my life was circa 2010-2011. However, I have recovered from the worst of social isolation, which may have resulted in depression and much psychic pain, pain that affected my psyche to the point of procrastination and questioning my very existence.

After a year of therapy, the most important inspiration came from my psychotherapist when he told me, "You would never go to the Emergency Ward suffering from a complete mental breakdown." I interpret this to mean that I would take care of myself to prevent depression from taking over my life completely.

Indeed, once free from therapy, my life has been improving slowly but surely. Today, I know how to cope with sitting in my room by spending my time online, writing a blog, making music, and reading.

As well, I meditate from time to time, according to my time schedule, especially when spending time online. Every ninety minutes or so, I either meditate, have a snack, or read a book.

At the moment, I am in recovery from depression. This means I have developed the skills needed to cope with life, along with proper sleep hygiene (in bed no later than 2 AM), regular exercise, and meditation.

Today, it's not 2010 anymore. It's 2014, and the year has only begun.

And I am thankful to all the friends I made along the way.

Quality time affected by Internet use

It has been noted that excessive online time cuts into time spent cultivating relationships with friends, family and loved ones. According to Comscore using US stats, the average time people spent online each month last year is between 20 and 40 hours, which amounts to an average 1 hour online a day. Though Nielson confounds this average with reports of almost 70 hours of daily online time, reported in 2009. Compare that to 160 hours in an 8-hour work day and 5-day work week, compared to 730 hours, the average total hours in a month. This leaves us with 7 hours of daily quality time, assuming 8 hours of sleep a day. Online use of more than 40 hours a month may be excessive. Why? Because it reduces the amount of time spent in quality time, time spent renewing relationships with friends and family, physical exercise, and other important social activities.

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Reference:
How Much Time People Spent Online in 2010 (US Statistics) | TechDasher: http://techdasher.com/average-time-people-spent-online-in-2010-u-s-statistics/

Average Internet User Now Spends 68 Hours Per Month Online | Masher:
http://mashable.com/2009/10/14/net-usage-nielsen/

Sometimes Online Forums Feel Like Being in a Play

Jaques:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. — As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139–143

After four years of reading an online forum off and on, I've had the following epiphany.

An online forum is almost like a play with actors, both active participants and passive readers.

Each actor writes out their sparse dialog, but they all may have their own images of that play arise whilst interpreting the replies from other participants.

The minute a reader writes a response or makes an original post (OP), s/he becomes an actor.

Sometimes I forget that an online forum is not reality itself.

Yet what I write in a forum should often reflect the good that is found in real life, to balance out "the evil men do."

“The evil men do lives after them.
The good is oft interred with their bones,” — Julius Caesar (Roman general and statesman, 100-44 B.C.)

My Time on Facebook is Over

After two years on it, my profile was disabled by the Facebook Team sometime between Thursday May 6 and Saturday May 9.

After I asked why my account was disabled, they stated that my online behavior at Facebook violated Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. As a result of recent online behavior, I will not be able to use Facebook. According to their email to me, the Facebook Team's decision is final and cannot be appealed.

This decision means I cannot create another Facebook account using my Yahoo account since FB's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities prohibits me from doing so.

Thank you, Facebook Team, for telling me why my account was disabled.

Thanks also for your prompt response.

After getting banned from other Internet forums (Clubvibes especially) as a result of previous on-line behavior, I plan to make no effort to create a new account on Facebook using another email account.

Instead, I plan to spend my time here editing my blog, and to return the focus on spirituality inspiration based on Buddhism and other faiths.