The fear of loneliness was injected into our minds since we were kids. We have learned that the kid who eats, sits, and has no friends is pathetic. In every book or movie, the kid who eats alone and has no friends is always featured as a weak character who needs to be saved. Pick any book or movie, and you will observe a common pattern around loneliness. These people were shown as easy targets or an object of your sympathy.

No one wants to be seen as a ‘weirdo’ hence, our dread of being alone. We don’t want people to think of us as someone who needs to be saved or mocked. Someone who is unwanted or doesn’t fit in with the cool kids. We don’t want people to think that no one chose us. So what do we do? We start becoming like an ideal version of whom everyone loves. And in the race of achieving people’s acceptance and love, you end up losing yourself.