GATHERING: Mastering the Art of Hanging Out

The Next Big Idea

Next Big Idea Club

Self-improvement, Arts, Books, Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2021

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You’ve posted a photo of your vaccine card on Instagram. The CDC says it’s okay to leave your bunker. Some of your friends have expressed interest in taking off their masks, breaking the six-foot barrier, and hanging out with you. Do you remember how? Whether you’re anxious about leaving your house or impatient to trade your house slippers for blue suede shoes, we could all use a refresher on how to connect with our fellow humans ... in person — and in a way that is not just pleasant but meaningful. That’s why we’re dusting off one of our favorite episodes, a conversation with Priya Parker, whose book, “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters,” is essential post-pandemic reading.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Rufus Griscoom and this is the next big idea.
0:10.4	Today, you're vaccinated, you're unmasked, you're ready to see friends again.
0:16.4	How do you do it?
0:21.4	Ever since I got vaccinated and the CDC announced that it's safe to socialize again, I've
0:35.0	been itching to throw a party.
0:37.5	But as excited as I am to take off my mask and break the six foot barrier, I'm also a
0:42.4	little nervous.
0:43.6	As a friend of mine puts it, it's kind of like driving without a seat belt.
0:47.3	It just feels weird.
0:49.1	And clearly other people are nervous too.
0:51.5	A recent headlight in the economist asked, what if we've forgotten how to socialize?
0:56.1	A writer for the cut lamented that, quote, 12 months of near total isolation have sat
1:01.4	me of whatever social stamina and charm I once possessed.
1:05.9	What we're dealing with here is a layer of social awkwardness and discomfort.
1:09.6	On top of the normal social awkwardness and discomfort, we humans usually feel it's
1:14.4	a double cheeseburger of social anxiety.
1:17.3	Luckily, these are the kind of challenges that good music and fine mixology have been
1:22.0	conquering for millennia.
1:24.1	I have faith in us people.
1:25.8	We can do it.
1:26.8	We just need some help.
1:28.8	As we kick off our fuzzy slippers and slip on our Hawaiian shirts and beer helmets, I
	...

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