As awkward as we may feel around people and as embarrassing as making a mistake while in the company of others, we learn best from our experiences, even the painful ones. 

  Socially Inept 

I am more comfortable in the company of myself or with one other person, even if they might be a stranger. One-on-one conversations, whether brief or deep, are much easier for me to follow and understand. I can focus on just one person, their facial expressions, their body language and their words. I can ask questions, as well probe a little deeper into what they mean when they say… Consequently, individuals are easier to interact with because I can interact with them as an individual. 

On the other hand, I find that being in a larger crowd, such as in a business meeting, going to church, my public speaking club, or a social function where I am a guest instead of the host, can be a little more intimidating. 

By my calculations, the more people you are around, the more expectations you are confronted with, and the more worries you have about what everyone else might be thinking about you. 

Without knowing it, you might offend someone by not conversing with them in the way they thought you should. Then there are those who might be miffed if you ask too many questions. Also there is always the one who gives you no regard whatsoever and you wonder what you may have done wrong. How is a person supposed to socialize gracefully amongst the many variables that accompanies a crowd?

It is not easy and some people just give up entirely on having anything to do with the rest of society. They become reclusive, preferring isolation to socialization. Although I hear people say, “I love dogs better than people,” or “I don’t like people,” or “I hate men,” what I’m really hearing is that they’ve been hurt by someone at some point in their lives and now they have reason to believe that the human race is entirely and totally worthless. 

It is true that there may be a few worthless human beings in the population at large, but not everyone belongs in that category. And even though everyone has been stung by someone, not everyone will sting us.  

“Not everyone will sting us,” is somewhat of a bold and risky thought to think, but my experiences, the awkward and as well as the embarrassing ones, has proven this idea to be true.

 For instance, I remember attending a couples Bible study years ago. Back then, it was tough for me to be around men simply because I’d not yet dealt with the painful event of my father’s suicide. As a result of my own unresolved emotional conundrums, no man deserved to be trusted because of the one man who had betrayed me. 

During that Bible study, there were times I’d simply not say a word. Other times I’d become combative and argumentative toward a man, even throwing a pencil across the room at them because they’d struck a chord inside of me. Awkward? Yes. Embarrassing? Absolutely. Am I still that way? Thankfully, no. What changed? Better question is, who changed? The simple answer, me. 

Why bother to keep a goin? Only by being in the company of others, only by trial and error, and only by practice will we ever learn how to get along with those in the same race as us; the human one.