Or is malaise a better word? My car battery is dead because I don’t drive anywhere anymore during the day when J is out. Or asleep. (Same difference, when you think about it). I suppose we could give it a jump when she gets home. But here I sit, needing a haircut, in my stocking feet, not wearing my eyeglasses. There is just no need for any of that. You know, trimmed hair, shoes, corrected vision.

Pre-SIP, my world had little points in space to which I would venture, Church, AA, the YMCA and its pool, Weight Watchers. I would drive to the store by myself. Now, not so much.

Most people, especially those with jobs, want this to end. On the other hand, here I am, with an ever-deepening case of the Fuck-Its settled into my consciousness. And I think that perhaps, I’m not alone. The isolation breeds apathy, a false sense of self-sufficiency. There is the virtual community that exists in the internet and on my smart phone, but it’s not the same. The images aren’t the same as real people.

For the benefit of civilization, we humans need friends, family, lovers, partners, associates. We do stuff together. If we are lucky, we will take from this that the shortcomings of the connected world show it to be a scattered, fragmented and lonely place.

It is no substitute for genuine community.