>>123144
Look bro, I don't like small talk either. Most of my IRL friends don't like small talk. We talk about lifting, philosophy, life goals, etc. And when we do talk about smaller things, we're generally making jokes/insults at each other and having a good time. If the majority of your experience with other people is less than solid friendship, I understand why you would think it's all small talk. But having spent quite a bit of time on /fringe/, /christian/, and /philosophy/, I can still tell you with confidence that the most deep conversations I've had were IRL. Plato's greatest conversations were face to face. World leaders get together when they make a huge decision, rather than having a big group text. People have discussed how great and necessary actual friendship is since the dawn of human intellect, and today it is a proven psychological point that we benefit from it, so it's worth at least trying. In my adolescence I hardly ever talked to anyone or left my house, and I didn't mind it, but taking the time to interact socially every once in a while (it can even be once every two weeks, you don't have to overwhelm yourself) has given me great experiences and mental benefits. People in this thread keep acting like there's some huge innate difference between those who are social and those who are not. It's not innate, I am innately an antisocial type and given the choice would rather meditate alone than go out. That is changing because of my efforts, and even if you don't like it as much as I have, you won't forgive yourself if you grow old without ever bothering to try.