Are you Gregarious or Reclusive?

When I first learned about the Japanese word “Hikikomori”, I thought it might be a very rare phenomenon exclusively to be seen in Japanese society. It refers to the loners who show abnormal withdrawal from society or avoidance of social contact. They stay cooped up in their own rooms 24/7, spending time only on video games or sleeping without contacting or speaking to anybody. In a nutshell, they are modern day’s hermit who LITERALLY never leaves or comes out of their comfort zones. I wonder why they become loners. Too scared or not spunky enough to go out and take the dangerous world by the horns?

Aside from the extreme case of loners, we see more and more people today being into their hobbies or favorite pastimes by themselves. They travel alone, eat alone, work out alone, and go see a movie alone. Many restaurants in Japan and Korea are targeting these happy (?) loners with their fancy menus created for solo diners. Eating alone is a common scene around the college campus, but that is not viewed unusual or odd even outside campus town in these Asian countries. Some of the restaurants only have tables fit for a single customer that look like a cubic at work place. Then, what makes people go solo in whatever they do? Are they anti-social, and their modus vivendi is something to be excoriated?

If you voluntarily belong to the solo tribe, feeling genuinely comfortable and relaxed being all by yourself, I don’t believe you have a problem. Everyone has his or her own way and right of living a life. Either gregarious like lions or somewhat reclusive like leopards with solitary characteristics, you are the leader of your own life. As long as you do not become debilitated or even destroy others logged online with verbal attacks behind your door, you can still be a happy camper being alone in your journey called ‘life’. YOLO, everybody! Be the best owner of your life.

Expressions

hermit: (noun) a person living in solitude

spunky: (adjective) courageous, brave, determined

to take something by the horns: (verb) to deal decisively/ bravely with a difficult or dangerous situation

to excoriate…: (verb) to criticize someone severely

gregarious: (adjective) fond of company/ living in flocks or loosely organized communities

reclusive: (adjective) solitary, secluded, isolated, hermitlike

YOLO: (modern phrase) standing for “You Only Live Once!”