Hikikomori, Japan's social recluses

It&#x27;s easy to be critical of these people, much as it is easy to poke fun at &quot;spoiled Millennials&quot; in the West.<p>Though I can appreciate their perspective. If society around you is a frantic rat race, and you&#x27;re not allowed to live for yourself, and it doesn&#x27;t seem to make a difference what you do, then why bother?<p>I don&#x27;t quite feel the same, but I admit much of modern life is so discouraging as to be a farce of a civilization.<p>Social isolation seems to be a big part of it. Friendships, jobs, and even family ties feel fleeting and superficial. Why work on building a life when everything shifts so much that your environment, activities, and social contacts completely change every couple of years?

there are lonely and alone people everywhere; the japanese have just given them a name, which seems far too broadly applied (goes out at night to get food but stays inside during the day vs been inside for ten years and refuses to speak).<p>I guess if you name a thing it becomes a thing.