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I've been thinking about this same thing lately. Everyone seems so serious now. It's like everything is of dire importance now even though in the grand scheme of things it isn't. What someone writes on their Facebook page could ruin their whole day!
Where are these people? I've never met any really positive people.
I agree, but why do you think that is? I am even guilty of being too serious at times, and don't know where it came from.
On a semi-related topic, has anyone noticed people at your work "smoking" the electronic cigarettes? I was wondering if that was catching on anywhere. I see them every once and a while in bars in Charlotte but since they could technically be used at your desk I was wondering.
I actually considered taking up smoking because the smokers seem to be the only people EVER who are talking and having fun. Alas, I'm not employed right now so it would do me no good. But seriously, something's wrong with us all, we are slowly eradicating face-to-face interactions and the results will not be good I'm afraid. I bet the Causeway Cannibal was just a lonely lonely guy. deep down. Maybe our lack of social interaction will be the start of the zombie uprising, maybe smoking will be what saves us, wouldn't that be ironic?
Their happy and talkative when they are smoking. No surprise there, and the reason should be obvious. Many are a bit more stressed when away from their precious cigarettes, I promise.
I don't understand this whole reasoning. I'm an ex-smoker and am just as sociable and garrulous as I was when I smoked. All my friends who used to smoke and now don't are the same.
I am always amused by our human brains. We really can see what we want to see and completely believe it to the exclusion of more reasonable explanations.
Could it be that after 25 years many of the people you worked with for years and who were around your age have moved on and that a lot of new and maybe younger people have come into the company gradually, so that YOU feel socially isolated because of those factors and are projecting that onto everyone else?
I'd say this is probably more likely than your in your head fantasies. Not to insult you. We all do this.
Yeah, you're right. It's all in my head. The fact that no one talks to each other anymore and the fact that my company actually had to make a rule against walking and texting because some 22 year old walked right off the loading dock while texting and blew out his knee. Yep, this generation is exactly like the last one!
The point is, it's nice to see people talking like normal humans in a group for a change. A nice change from this young generation of Borg with no social skills.
I don't think it has anything to do with smokers versus non-smokers (unless the tobacco in the smokers' ciggies has been enhanced and they're feeling particularly happy after a few drags!) but more to do with today's general attitudes. We all know that the economic situation worldwide is very depressing but it seems that at the same time a lot of basic levity has gone out the window. I grew up in post WWII England and between rationing and all else we grew up very poor (in poverty by today's standards) but we were happy, well-fed (my mother was an excellent cook), had clean clothes and contentedly created our own entertainment.
Nowadays between the incessant preoccupation with FB, texting, twitters, tweets and whatever else keeps cropping up, people are glued to their telephones and iPads and (at least judging from many of the posts on these forums) neither have a first clue about actually communicating face to face but don't have a sense of humor either. Never mind any, "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" - gloom and doom it and you'll fit right in. Bloody pathetic.
Smokers or non smokers, keep positive people around you and the world seems to be a pretty decent place despite all the struggles!
I just got back from a two-week long vacation to Iceland. The scenery was beautiful and the culture was interesting, but also it was nice to just get away from everything and everyone. The people there seemed happy and were very friendly. It really was a breath of fresh air, very different from my family, co-workers, and most everyone else around where I live who are always grumpy and pissed off about something.
I didn't bother bringing my computer or a cell phone. It was just me and my rental car. The total cost of the trip was $3,500, but I felt like it was worth it. I haven't been on a vacation in years. Sometimes it's good (if you can) to just take a step back and enjoy life. You only live one time.
For the most part yes. When I quit smoking a few years ago one of my first thoughts was "Ok now what the heck do I do on breaks?" I missed my smoker friends, and the little breaks outside.
I quit six months ago. It was nice not go have to go outside in the winter, but I did miss seeing some of the other smokers.
In social situations, if a smoker friend wants to go outside to have a cig, I sometimes still accompany them.
I have noticed something strange at my company. The smokers are the last group of people who are social and seem to have a good time interacting with each other. They have their meeting place outside and they seem to have a lot of fun talking and laughing. I even see them sitting together in the cafeteria even though, of course they cannot smoke there.
How productive are they vs. employees that don't take at least four or five 10 minute smoke breaks, in addition to their standard lunch break, throughout the day?
...the smokers seem to be the only people EVER who are talking and having fun.
They're having fun all right...and getting over....smokers at my job take breaks every frigging hour practically, and I can barely get up to go pee. (one works overnight, and I declare he only works 30 mins of every hour.
I personally would feel guilty if I got up and left my desk for 20 mins at a time, practically every hour the way this guy does....oh yeah -- AND he comes in 10 mins late every night to boot.
My issue is that smokers do less work, or at least appear to.
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