Social Norm

I may like to characterise myself as an individual that dislikes social interaction and upon contemplating on the issue on why yet I feel myself so comfortable around other people when I am in the mood to do so (I am currently on a one week holiday with my platoon mates with little to no privacy to myself as proof) is because I have to succumb to many social norms. One social expectation being having to be downstairs to greet another person that enters your house, even if you do not know the individual in question. Other examples are having to be present for a formal event solely for representation of your relations to another person rather than yourself as an individual. Such examples including being present for political reasons to show yourself as a functional family rather than being there to be present as yourself as an individual.

Having lived with my platoon mates for so long, we have grown accustomed to our quirky habits and are not surprised to find another one, such as wanting to rest in the room so as to be able to write this blog post while the rest are out and about. We are more frank to each other than we should, and we don't lose our temper as much even when we make it known that one's actions are annoying another. Perhaps it is because we are only together constantly for a week, or together periodically for the last two years that we put up with one another in such a way, but it sure would be nice if our family was just as accommodating no?

With this in mind I was wondering if, put in a similar situation with the opposite sex, if you would have any romantic feelings towards the other party; of which many of my colleagues agreed that there would be such signs of affection after living with someone for so long comfortably. I beg to differ, for I am more traditional as to believe that affection comes from fate making it so rather than the circumstances that you are put in. Nevertheless I suppose it does create the conditions for love to form, as you are put in a predicament where you are able to learn more about each other more intimately than usual. Nevertheless this is a irrelevant rumination, spurred on by other digressions.

Anyway, this would be a good place to end, for I suspect my friends may be returning back soon.

Cheers,

Matthew Tan