social pressures...

I was discussing this with a few people one or two weeks ago, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how much it rings with truth.

Ready? Well then, here it comes. A very large percentage of pressures, worries and anxieties can be traced back to social causes, either directly and indirectly. If you think about what's worrying you in your life, you'll see how true this is.

Some of these pressures are obvious. Maintaining a relationship, or rather, all relationships...learning to deal with people...trying to come out the better in a confrontation. But there are some links that are not as obvious...you have to tease them out strand by strand from the whole ball of yarn. Today, I'm working in Boston for an engineering company. I have no clue what tomorrow will bring. For all I know, I might get laid off. When I think about all the fears that frantically whirl around that thought, there's one I can grab immediately from mid-air and slam it on the table in front of you: what will people think? What will my family think? What will my friends think? Social pressures, my comrades...social pressures.

And of course, temperatures rise with time. Tomorrow, I'll be married...I'll have to think about supporting my wife, making sure my kids get a good education, and the list goes on. Directly or indirectly, I can link all those worries to people.

That said, I don't intend for this article to be dark and pessimistic. I'm merely expounding on an observation. If anything, I think that this knowledge helps you when you get worried. On the flip-side, I can easily argue that without people, you lose the lows, yes, but you also lose the highs. The joy of being with those you care about. Small, miniscule things in life that eventually affect you in profound ways. Without people, your emotions will eventually flatline...an emotional death, so to speak. And I can stand up and vouch for this because I've lived in imposed isolation before.

After all, man is a social animal, and both the good and the bad come with the package. :)