Downsizing: The Benefits of Having Fewer
Personal and Social Relationships Remember:
Hermits. Hermits are misun-
derstood and underappreciated. There are many fascinating facts about hermits, which we would know of if they came outside and interacted with others more often. But just think of all the time they have, all the things they have time to do, no other people around, they could read a book a day, or learn string theory in only a few months, all those people aren’t clouding up their brain! No nonsense, true, freedom and serenity, doesn’t Gary Busey seem so happy and content?
You can only access 10% of your brain. Why not 15% or 20%, probably because God for saw STDs and Cancer and realized that if he gave us anymore brain access we’d have developed a cure for both, and be humping and smoking indiscriminately. If you can only access 10% of your brain, how could you possibly operate all of your body’s daily functions, have gross and fine motor skills, hopefully be literate, solve complex problems on a daily basis, actually get up in the morning, and have 300 close, personal friends? Well, you can’t. The Facebook is a lie.
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Erin M. Adams
Human beings function best in groups of 20 or less, and you can also only have up to 120 social and personal relationships. So it’s perfectly normal that you often experience that “who exactly are you?” feeling at family reunions. Your brain, an amazing six pound organ that new discoveries are being made about every day, can only handle so much. Why not 15% or 20%, probably because God for saw STDs and Cancer and realized that if he gave us anymore brain access we’d have developed a cure for both, and be humping and smoking indiscriminately.
You’re going to have to downsize that list from 300 to 120, or less. It is helpful to have a concrete, concise definition of friend, important relatives, and significant coworkers.
Layla took Kate camping, ensued forest happenings. L, loyal, a good friend will stick
by you through thick and thin, and not call you fat.
T, true, loyal but doesn’t say yes
to everything you say, is concerned about your wellbeing.
K, kind, friends aren’t dicks to their friends.
C, compassionate, doesn’t rail you with every mistake you made on an especially bad day.
E, empathetic, understands your
feelings and doesn’t judge you for them, or judge others.
H, honest, if you screw up, says something, but isn’t overly harsh.
F, forgiving, when you screw up or slight someone, or him or her, knows that you’re not perfect, and forgives you and moves on. Good friends are Huffflepuffs.
Important Relatives They don’t have clever mnemon-
Significant Coworkers
ic devices. Important relatives buy you gifts on gift giving occasions, and not crappy or cop out gifts.
If you have a relative that does
this, there is a good chance that they are a secondary relative, or worse, a peripheral relative, the ones you see maybe once a year and then they die.
You don’t have regular contact or an emotional bond with these relatives, nor do they attend social functions and event pertinent to you. Secondary and peripheral relatives may become important or primary relatives, if one of their kids dies or moves out and they need an outlet to dote on and emotionally invest in.
You work with these coworkers
the most, whether they be your fellow students, coworkers in a work setting. You have a healthy rapport with them. Primary or important relatives may also be significant coworkers.
Other coworkers or miscella-
neous coworkers’ names should be remembered though, and bosses, and professors. You can covertly cyber stalk them if you run out of room as well.
Primary or important relatives may also be significant coworkers. Or worse, a peripheral Benefits of Downsizing relative, the ones you Once you narrow down your list see maybe once a year to 120, or less. You will experience the benefits of having less clutter, and then they die. and room for more important
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things, like books, new ways to talk yourself out of tickets, improved memory, obscure dirty facts about giraffes and cystic fibrosis, art, culture.
You’ll be able to find your keys
faster, learn new skills faster, with no more unnecessary dangling synapses, you could take over the world! If you wanted to, if you wanted to, the world can be a crappy place sometimes.
You can’t have 300 social and
personal relationships, do you want to be a nicotine addicted sex addict? Or do you want to have extra room for more important things, like over the top ridiculous generalizations?
So stop taxing your poor brain
with all those secondary friends and acquaintances, relatives, and insignificant coworkers. Save some room for more important things, like obscure dirty facts about giraffes, and cystic fibrosis!
You can read more of Erin M. Adam’s work, including the complete version of this article on her blog at https:// ehadams.wordpress.com/