There’s Demons Outside My Front Door
I’m going to make a 10,000-piece puzzle that when you finish it, it says, “Go Outside”
Comedian Dmitri Martin
Someone should think about making this type of puzzle in East Asia, it should sell.
Why?
The disease of extreme social reclusiveness known as hikikomori is taking over to the point where the South Korean government are quite literally paying the equivalent of 490USD per month to individuals who will simply leave their home. These government funds are meant to support their living expenses, school supplies but can even go towards cosmetic procedures to encourage social activity. This social anxiety disorder is diagnosed to individuals aged 9 to 24. In some extreme cases, some will not go outside their home for any reason & consequently live unhealthy lives.
To date, there are about a third of a million adults in South Korea who are considered to be isolated and lonely. Psychologically these sensations often begin in adolescence but increasingly persist into adulthood.
Japan is known to have a worst case of this disease where a staggering 1.5 Million citizens are suffering. Singapore is also known to have many citizens suffering from this reclusiveness disease. Eastern cultures are thought to be more susceptible to this social disease due to their extreme competitiveness in the work place and academia. There is a saying in South Korea that if you get 6 hours or more sleep while studying for your exams [to enter university], you do not have a chance to become accepted. This is likely a product of a conformist, collectivistic culture that owes importance to societal face; a term regarded as ones morality, honour, authority and image in social groups, a sort of social ranking if you will.
To add insult to injury, South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world with Japan challenging them in this metric, too. In my subscription service, I propose a way to monetize the increasingly reduce birth rates. If that interests you, do reach out, I’d love to hear from you.
South Korea has many interesting events taking place for better or worse but unfortunately this fits into the latter category.
As much as I love you in on the computer reading our articles & surfing our site, don’t forget to head outside today for some fresh air. Let’s try to contain this hikikomori disease, people.
#StayOnTheBall
