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I know lots of people doing what the OP says. I think it's sad that they are so engrossed in their small cocoon that they forget there is a big, wide world out there.
I get plenty of physical exercises through my in-home gym. I devote an hour to exercise a day. Every once in a while I go outside on my porch but the many diversions inside make my time out on the porch very limited.
There is no need to see the outdoors when I can look at scenic videos on YOUTUBE. No knats or mosquitos.
There is more to do inside today than a hundred lifetimes in the 1950s.
I told you I was working online in IT and am not retired.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenkay
To get physical exercise, to enjoy the outdoors, etc etc etc... Things which I just as often do *alone* as with other people. Going to a museum or an art gallery is HUGELY different in person than looking at photos of stuff online. Not to mention seeing friends face to face and having physical contact with other humans. I have a strong online presence and communicate with many of my friends via social media or text, but I can't imagine never going outside. It seems so boring, unhealthy, and depressing.
I told you I was working online in IT and am not retired.
In case you are who you say you are, and thus aren't aware, you are being taken for another poster, who went by the name of I'm Retired Now. Don't take this as a compliment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rarely leave the house
So many people I know nowadays don't leave the house anymore. We are the new generation of modern technology. We communicate via text and email and message boards. We work from home. We have our groceries delivered. 99% of our retail purchases is via eBay and Amazon. We have access to millions of websites and our entertainment with thousands of television shows and movies through technology. We socialize through videogames.
The world outside our homes has very little use for us with so many diversions available in our homes.
Why leave the house to socialize when there is so much to do inside?
First bolded: how did you get to know all these people if you never leave the house?
Second bolded: try hugging someone on a videogame. Now try doing it in person. If you can't tell which one feels better, go ahead and stay inside.
That's cool, OP. I really dislike crowds. Maybe if more people stayed in, my commute would be better. I would never have to stand in line or wait for a table in a restaurant. My anxiety level would drop. I can't say that I disagree with more people staying home.
I find this a very interesting post....not that I never go outside the house...but with the increase in population and traffic where I currently live, it is just a hassle to do anything! If I lived downtown in a city and could walk to everything, it would be different, but this area used to be something of a small suburb, but has now boomed in population, but lacks infrastructure to support the growth. I have used Instacart a few times and order a lot of stuff on Amazon and it is definitely easier. I am retired, so don't need to go out if I don't want to. I fought the traffic and headaches of commuting into the city for years, so this undoubtedly colors my perspective as well. I think in the future, the whole working from home and ordering supplies/food and having things delivered may well be the norm. I currently mostly communicate with ex-work friends online as well. Even though I am sure I am a bit older than the OP, I can see where he/she is coming from.
That's cool, OP. I really dislike crowds. Maybe if more people stayed in, my commute would be better. I would never have to stand in line or wait for a table in a restaurant. My anxiety level would drop. I can't say that I disagree with more people staying home.
"They" should stay home so you can be out and about with smaller crowds? Ummm, OK.
Variations on a theme(s) via screens and headphones is hardly more variety of things to do than in previous decades. Also, seven hours of exercise per week is borderline immobile if the only activity you do outside of that is moving from room to room. That lack of physical activity will catch up with you as you age.
You can do what works well for you, but for many people, that would be a most depressing way to live. Living via a screen would be like skipping a stone across a pond; only skimming life's surface and never fully having the full sensory experience of what the world at large and close at hand has to offer. At least consider taking some of that tech out on the porch for some limited in-person social interaction.
I'm in my late 30s, no where near retired, and have friends that range in age from early 20s to mid 60s...the VAST majority of them, by far, seem to prefer staying home and glued to their phones. This is not something that seems relegated to just the younger folks either. Even my parents seem to prefer texting to actual phone calls these days (we live around 2500 miles apart).
Oddly, several of my friends constantly lament "stuck at home and never doing anything", yet still never seem to actually WANT to get out to go do things. I get invited over to hang out, and they're glued to their phones the majority of the time. The few that do go out seem to only want to go to the local bar and get trashed.
Sure, I can find groups centered around various activities, and I'm relatively active in several offroad/4x4/Jeep oriented groups, but it's not common to find friends in these groups...rather they're just acquaintances based on that activity. If that activity goes away, so do all the people.
So many people I know nowadays don't leave the house anymore. We are the new generation of modern technology. We communicate via text and email and message boards. We work from home. We have our groceries delivered. 99% of our retail purchases is via eBay and Amazon. We have access to millions of websites and our entertainment with thousands of television shows and movies through technology. We socialize through video games.
The world outside our homes has very little use for us with so many diversions available in our homes.
Why leave the house to socialize when there is so much to do inside?
You just described my 19-yo son. :-(
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