A few years back I attended a family camp for some 400 fellow buddhist students, in Alsace, although most of the attendees were German, with a few English people. I appreciated what an enjoyable environment it was for the ‘target demographic’ but I really felt like a fish out of water. I don’t have a family, I don’t particularly enjoy the company of children and was probably the only gay man there, although there were a few lesbians. On the other hand, had I been there with a partner, I wouldn’t have found the whole thing so antagonistic and, I should add, I knew some single straight people who were there who felt a little bit the same, although they had at least the opportunity to flirt even if not a date.
Crowds of people, including many that I know at little, I also find quite hard as one’s attention is pulled hither and thither, with the anxiety that one might unintentionally ignore someone and the superficial nature of one’s acquaintance with people usually means that there is not the ‘bandwidth’ to support much quality communication.
In some respects, twitter is often like that. I find my anxieties and scattered attention so often leave me depleted, although I have been fortunate enough to have met people with whom I feel some authentic communication cam develop.
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