On Camaraderie with Strangers – Intro

So much of our venture hinges on social connections, and that’s because social connections are crucial to happiness, and to both mental and physical health.

Some people are blessed with a strong social environment – they have close-knit families, a group of supportive friends, and coworkers who share the same passions. These things go an incredibly long way to promote wellbeing.

But many of us don’t have quite so many people supporting us. You hear terms like “Loneliness Epidemic” tossed around these days, and really it’s abundantly clear on its own, w/o journalists having to declare it, that too many people struggle to find companionship.

Let me be clear: To be alone for any extended period of time, whether physically or mentally (or both), can cause real pain.

This is not a weakness – it is simply a product of human nature to desire and seek out company.

And while being alone can teach you volumes about yourself, and can give you great strength, ultimately it’s not good for you. We can’t all be expected to be Zen, and frankly it’s just not necessary. The desire for rapport should and must be expressed.

In just a few days, I’ve already seen this very strongly in the modeling world. Many models seem to have an irrepressible desire to connect – to bond with each other, if only briefly. Outside in waiting rooms, we share small talk and sometimes life stories and well wishes, and we comfort each other when we’ve been treated coldly by the people who hold the purse strings. (Of course, many models also seem to be utterly cutthroat and self-absorbed, and won’t even look at you)

Yesterday, after one swift rejection, I randomly bumped into another model who’d been rejected right before me, out in the street.

“Well that was brutal, huh?” he joked.

“It happens.”

“You going to the other one right now? There’s one in 20 minutes, we can walk together.”

“Which one? Oh you mean ReQuest? I already went to that one, they let me go early. Good luck man.”

Outside an agency in Boston, I met a 16-year-old triple threat (shoutout to Tori and best of luck) who also figure skated for the Hungarian Nationals team. This girl, her mother, and I talked for about 15 minutes while waiting for the director of the agency to see us. Over the course of the conversation, I discovered they were from Deep River, CT. Coincidentally I’d been in Deep River for the first time just days before our meeting. They were shocked to hear I knew about the Cumberland Farms and the Da Vinci’s pizza place there – Deep River’s (ever-so-modest) claim to fame. Before we parted ways, the mother offered me free room and board anytime I was in Deep River.

I’ve come to realize the incredible value of connecting with strangers, if only briefly.

It fills the emptiness that can loom and threaten to crush you if you’re taking a path that’s outside of the mainstream.

And it really inspires and refreshes your faith in humanity.

With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to start a series of posts on Camaraderie with Strangers, of which this is the introductory post, where I will chronicle the brief connections I make with random people that cross my path.

I hope to show you just how good most people are (despite an overwhelming pessimism I encounter in many people who seem to believe that most people suck), and to show you how you can enrich your life by stepping outside your comfort zone and introducing yourself.

-David

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