Uninterested, not Anti-social

Recently, I have been picking and choosing my spots conversationally. In any social setting, I will decide whether or not it's worth the effort to converse with people I don't really know too well. I think you reach a point in life where you find out that getting along with people who aren't your friends is a necessary evil, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to make the effort in every circumstance. Let me explain, and if you don't need an explanation, then just let me rant doggone it!!

Over the past half decade, I've realized that there are three types of people when it comes to social settings. The first group consists of people who are just social with everyone naturally for whatever reason. Whether they find their niche in getting along with everyone or just have a talkative disposition, these people are always chatting it up with whoever crosses their path. The second group, as you could predict, is completely the opposite. They're the shy/quiet/generally reserved bunch who just don't find it enjoyable to speak and will only do so when it's completely of the essence to. Then you have group 3, of which there are infinite subgroups. The inbetweeners.

(I know that last paragraph was so astute and filled with groundbreaking insights that you are foaming at the mouth to see what's coming next. I assure you I will get to the point)

I am an inbetweener, but if I really wanted to be, I could fit into either of the first 2 groups. The reason I'm not in the quiet group is that it just does not fit my personality whatsoever. So that narrows it down to the always-social group and the tweeners. Here, my friends, is where I get to the crux of this post...

For me, getting along with people who I don't consider friends comes down to one thing: Do I want to flip my social-switch to the "on" setting? On rare occasion, I'll meet someone I click with and conversation with just come naturally. But the other 98.6% of the time, I have to decide whether it's really worth my trouble. Let me give you a recent example of this.

I was hanging with an amigo recently in a setting that is as anti-Ryan as they come. A few fluzies that he knew came up and started chatting. After approximately 4 minutes, I realized that these were not people that I wanted to turn the social switch on for. So I checked out mentally, thinking about what cereal I would pick if I had the first overall choice in a "Cereal Draft" (which we MUST do at some point). Not only was this thought process far more intelligent and entertaining than the conversation going on, but I saved the time and energy that would have gone to waste had I decided to turn it on.

It's not always as easy as turning it off and on though. You can't just flip the switch back and forth as you please. It takes discernment to figure out when it's necessary and when it's just plain pointless. Remember the old urban legend that you could start a fire if you flipped a light switch on and off enough times repeatedly. Well the damage you can cause your dome-piece if you're wreckless with your social-switch is far from myth my friend. You put that puppy on in a bad situation, and there will often times be consequences.

Here are a few times when turning it on is a must:
--Meeting a pretty close friend of a friend
--Meeting the family of a significant other(when you don't need the switch and it just comes completely naturally in this situation, you may have something special)
--Any sort of job setting, whether at work or at an interview


...you get the point. So to reiterate, if I ever seem to be distant in a new social setting, don't think it's because I don't have the social skillz to pay the billz. Cause I could pay for my billz then cover a few other folks too. I pick and choose my spots and if that switch isn't on it's because I'm just uninterested, not anti-social.

(The writer of this blog does not take responsibility for any hours of your life wasted reading his preposterous drivel. He does, however, thank you for supporting him on his mission to change the universe, or at least the Delware Valley, one post at a time)