Loneliness and social isolation have become chronic issues across the world. We must resist attempts to close down meaningful human interaction, writes Husna Ara.
I really felt this in my teens. I worked a summer job so I had money to hang out and a car to get there. My friends didn’t have money, though, so their only suggestion was to hang out at a park and I turned it into a walk. I guess we were lucky enough to have that.
It sometimes feels like part of your 20s are the new teens. We’re increasingly restricting what teens can do, like driving friends around, “loitering,” etc. When I listen to my parents talk, their experience of being 16-18 sounds more like how my 21-23 went.
I try to make the effort to at least see friends at a café some weekends now. It might not be cheap to get café coffee three times a day but it’s really not a bad price to sit and chat for a few hours.
It feels like there are less and less spaces and things where you can hang out for free.
I really felt this in my teens. I worked a summer job so I had money to hang out and a car to get there. My friends didn’t have money, though, so their only suggestion was to hang out at a park and I turned it into a walk. I guess we were lucky enough to have that.
It sometimes feels like part of your 20s are the new teens. We’re increasingly restricting what teens can do, like driving friends around, “loitering,” etc. When I listen to my parents talk, their experience of being 16-18 sounds more like how my 21-23 went.
I try to make the effort to at least see friends at a café some weekends now. It might not be cheap to get café coffee three times a day but it’s really not a bad price to sit and chat for a few hours.
Yeah even on the Internet those spaces are dwindling.