I agree with you completely about the dislike of social interaction. I think it's an introversion thing. Personally, I feel drained from social interaction, and need time to myself to recover afterwards. It is too much social interaction that contributes most to the tired and grumpy feelings that I have after particularly long/frustrating days. I mean, I can do manual labor alone from dawn until dusk and, despite being physically tired, I am still happy. But if I have to deal with a bunch of people for some reason, I get really tired and grumpy.

It isn't as bad in one-on-one situations with a single friend, but I still have to have my alone time after a while.

But despite being so antisocial, I still need a certain amount of social interaction. I like the internet for that. It seems to me like the social interaction on the internet can be broken down into small manageable chunks. I can talk to someone, or play a multiplayer game for an hour or so, but then when it ceases to be uplifting and instead becomes burdensome, I can more easily escape away from the internet and be alone again.

I am not sure what I think of your idea about the "Dead Poets Society" sort of group. I respect your idea, so please don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I sort of feel like it might be kind of a utopian ideal that may not be able to exist in reality. But I am not sure, maybe I am just too antisocial, lol. I just think that any time you have a group of more than two or maybe three people, the social structures that are rooted down in our deepest subconscious through evolution start to take hold, and we start to establish a pecking order or whatever, and the social group ceases to be uplifting for those of us who are introverted to the extent that we do not wish to lead, but do not wish to follow a leader either.

For me at least, I think it is far more uplifting and constructive to only have a handful of close friends, rather than a larger social group. And to interact with them one at a time instead of as a group. I guess it is harder to do "big" things like that, which disappoints me sometimes. But then I sit and think and decide that happiness is more important to me than being able to accomplish big things.

I think the most dangerous thing is when the large mainstream social group starts to push out those who don't conform to their particular way of being. Whispers about that guy, how he is so quiet, and has those strange hobbies and ideas. Why so different?!? STRANGER DANGER! And then that further pushes people on the edges of society away from that society. Which is a shame, because someone has to think and act outside of the box, or society becomes stuck inside of itself, right? Mainstream bullying, I guess is what I'd call it. And I think that the larger a social group becomes, the more likely it is for such things to happen.

I am fortunate, I think, to live and have been raised within the weird little Appalachian culture that I consider myself a part of. We're all ridiculed by the mainstream American culture, so I think that helps everyone within my particular Appalachian subculture know what it's like when the blind masses act uncool towards a people. And so here, I can be a little quiet and a little odd and just do my own thing, and nobody really cares. To an acceptable extent, anyway. Lol.

And I think it's good to force myself to be social sometimes too, even when I don't want to. It keeps the members of my community feeling a little closer and more accepting of me, and seems like every now and then I'll accidentally meet someone who I actually might want to spend some time with, which is cool. XD

Ok, hmmm. I am not sure what the point of all my yammering was. Maybe I am just talking a lot and saying nothing. Hehe.