Human beings are social, political animals. Society enables human beings to do and achieve things that individuals cannot do alone. Human beings have constituted blood family in the first place and it has been expanded to larger society and nation. However, since the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, the family has been dismantled and Korea is no exception. A large family based on traditional agriculture has been disrupted, thus family and kin have been displaced according to jobs as well as education. Nowadays, the fence of family is almost gone, washed away by a wave of neoliberalist globalization, and each individual is left to survive in fierce competition, keep and defend him or herself.
Thus, weary individuals worn out by competition are not likely to have spare time to enjoy with friends.
As I get older, I realize again how precious old friends are.........