Grrrreeaaattt thread guys (think Tony the Tiger
).
It really resonated with me on a deep level as I've experienced a lot of VERY similar emotions from a young point in my life. Through working in the retail field and meeting some people who didn't judge me based on what I said but who I really was as a person, I was able to finally open up (though not fully) and start interacting more.
Now I'm at the point where I'm very open with people that I choose to be and closed with people I don't (somewhat in the middle with others). If I know a friend doesn't engage in personal developement conversations, hardly talks when trying to have a deep conversation or an intellectual discussion, I hardly bother anymore. It just creates unnecessary tension. I'm glad to have found that one friend, like you guys have said, who I can truely connect with and hold these kinds of dicussions. We have our differences and some aren't small, but that's ok. It makes for interesting dicussions sometimes.
What I would like to say is I think that there's a time and place for everything. I think that chit chat and small talk are ok if you also engange in other forms of conversation also. I have plenty of chit chat conversations with my good friend. Sometimes after a long day, we just meet for a tea/coffee and just joke around or talk about nonsense. It let's the mind wander (sp?), be free and relax. You can't always be "on and thinking" because deep conversations come with a price of their own too.
Like it's always been said, find a balance. Neither extreme of each spectrum is the right answer because you'll always find something missing that way (imo).