Parties are strange things. Clubs are even stranger. It defies logic to really think that a group of strangers can have a genuinely good time together. It is possible of course. However, we must acknowledge a certain social awkwardness inherent in the premise. Which is why the lifeblood of clubs and parties tends to be drugs and alcohol. It’s difficult to interact with people drunk, let alone sober.
I say all this as an introvert, of course. If there’s one thing introverts like to talk about it’s about being an introvert. We’re very fond of reminding people about this particular aspect of our respective characters. A party is a frightening prospect, particularly without a little help from a strong drink, both as a prop and more importantly, as an anti-anxiety agent. There’s a reason it’s called liquid courage.
The problem with parties is that there are people there. People are dangerous; they tend to homogenize. Interaction with a stranger can result in a life-long friend, it can be an entirely forgettable experience, or it can be something much darker. Every interaction alters us in some way, generally imperceptibly; but there are other encounters that we never recover from.
This is possibly my favorite so far! Although I seem to say that every week 🙂