What’s a friend?

Periodically, I need to just vent. I have decided to put together several posts for that very reason. I'm not just pushing myself to open up, but I'm actually willing to go beyond what I really think on a number of issues. This is one of these posts. Expect this to turn out as an incomprehensible irrational rant.

I have heard people complain about how few friends they have. Do you know how many friends I have? Zero. As someone who doesn’t really know what a friend is, I don't want to hear people complain about having only two or three.

Of course I don't have friends. I'm not social to begin with. I have never pursued friends.

Admittedly, I also lack social skills. I grew up in schools. How can I possibly learn social skills in such an environment? Oddly, many people criticize homeschoolers because they can't learn social skills unless they are in a schooling environment. If you want to develop social skills, you must only see people of your own age, sit down, and shut up. What an absurd concept.

To further complicate things, I reject the narrow and rigid mold of social acceptability. I have thoughts and opinions that are my own rather than what society dictates. Living in an era of extreme intolerance, good luck finding anyone who would be willing to associate with someone who dares to be an individual.

My life would probably be better if I wasn't surrounded by people who can't handle the thought of being connected in any way to an… individual. What a horrible word (by today's standards). As far as I'm concerned, it's not my fault if others can't handle anyone who isn't the exact same mindless drone as everyone else. It may be frustrating not having any friends, but I'm not going to stoop to the level of mindless masses to fix that problem. The notetaking debate: Writing