Not long ago, I found myself in the lobby of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College having a conversation with a close friend about a topic that I have always found uncomfortable: mental health.
It was a truly wonderful dialogue, with each of us gaining a deeper understanding of each other and an awareness of our vulnerabilities, such as flaws in friendships and anxieties over the trivial.
However, I could not shake the discomfort I had felt and why I had felt it. When had I developed such an aversion to the taboo and expressions of vulnerability? To what extent was this discomfort inhibiting the development of my interpersonal relationships?
As social connection decreases throughout the nation, due to a combination of declining social participation, demographic shifts and increases in technological usage, there is an increasing necessity to make our conversations less comfortable, deeper, more awkward — and more real. Surpassing superficiality and making conversations memorable is how we truly connect with each other and build meaningful relationships.
If you are struggling with mental health, reach out to a friend. If you are struggling with addiction, tell a loved one. If you had a horrible or amazing date, encounter, dinner, exam, tailgate, etcetera — tell someone.
For so long I danced around these confessions for fear of being seen as needy or difficult, or for fear that the slightest taste of human authenticity would scatter those around me to the wind. My pursuit of an ideal perception led me to adopt one entirely foreign to me.
Shed that polite predisposition and embrace awkwardness. Spill raunch and woe until the faces at the table next to you flush crimson. Carry yourself with the vulnerability required to be human and do it unabashedly.
Modern connection is a paradox: We crave closeness yet flinch at the exposure it requires. We must reconcile that there is grace in the grotesque and opportunity to be found in the mess of discomfort.
One immutable fact of life I have had to accept is that there is no value in pursuing multitudes of friendships when all we really need are a few good friends. Conversation is the medium through which we tackle this endeavor, and I promise that unconventional conversation and transgressing your comfort zone are a means to ensure you find friends that will last.
Logan Durley is a sophomore biological sciences major from Olive Branch, Miss.
