Just last night, when I was talking to one of my friends over the phone, the friend asked me, "Do you like being alone or around people for company?" Now, that's a very good question to someone like me, 'coz I often contradict myself over whether I like solitude or company, demanding solitude at one time and longing for company the other. Well, the answer to this question seems to be a broad one, easily surpassing boundaries of my own personal interest.

Over the last century, the human population on the planet has exploded past 6 billion. And with all the technological advancements, especially in communication and transport, one feels the increasing need (and sometimes the pressure) to communicate and keep in touch with so many people a day. And for the more emotionally sentient, this can get tedious. They would feel the need to get away from all the hassle and have some time to recollect and gather their own thoughts. But being humans, they too long for the company of others and cannot totally avoid society. Therein lies their self-contradiction between their choice of solitude or company. The best one can have perhaps is just a good balance.

But, my question - is all our "socializing" really doing us any good? We make a lot of acquaintances but not many friends. No longer do we really cherish our dear ones or have true respect for our fellow people. Methinks, if we had fewer people around us, we would value them and love them more. But unlike what is usually thought, that does not mean that we would draw ourselves into a closed shell and be shut off from the world. Rather, when we have a small circle of close friends, we would tend to treat others outside that cherished circle more fairly and with greater respect.

Those are my humble thoughts on the subject.