Hi.

This group is very different.

Succinct writing has never been my forte, but if anyone is curious and wants to learn more, feel free to continue reading.

Meetup has various groups which focus on activities, interests, and hobbies.

Everyone has many options of things to do and several groups to join.

Many fun and cool groups are out there.

My conjecture is numerous people have made good, close, and lasting friendships & relationships in other groups.

A few people have told me it's sometimes hard to talk about non-superficial topics.

Some have met other attendees, but conversation might be chit-chat or small talk (e.g., what do you do for work, where are you from, blah blah).

A few have expressed a desire for more meaningful connections and deeper conversation.

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Some might feel nervous or intimidated about meeting new people. Showing up somewhere with random strangers where you don't know anyone can feel awkward, embarrassing, and uncomfortable...

...especially if some are shy, quiet, introverted, anxious, and have low self-esteem or a lack of confidence.

I get it.

When I first joined meetup for playing volleyball, I thought other groups were for weirdos and losers who meet to play BINGO, but was pleasantly surprise that some cool, friendly, and nice people are out there.

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Recently, I encountered an online message forum and was shocked and surprised by how many people expressed their personal problems.

Numerous individuals wrote about problems with family (parents, siblings, children, parent-in-laws), friends, roommates, neighbors, employees, boss/manager, etc. Some even shared about traumatic experiences (sexual assault/harassment, child molestation, bullying, physical & verbal abuse, etc.).

Something that saddened me was how many people suffer with depression and suicidal ideations.

Everyday, many people cry out for help:

www.reddit.com/r/depression/new

www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/new

If I had the time, I wish I could respond to each person and offer encouragement, so that some wouldn't feel alone or think that nobody cares.

Many people experience struggles, hardships, and conflicts. So this group is intended to give anyone an opportunity to open up and talk. No need to keep things suppressed/repressed.

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To be honest, this group was created on a whim. I haven't given this much thought. I do not know if any others will join this group or be interested in this idea, but I'm able to start a third group with this account, so I figured why not.

I don't anticipate this group to be popular and it likely won't attract much attention, which is fine. This group isn't intended to be cool or have a lot of members.

I have other groups that have a decent # of members, so a small group would be nice and less stressful. :)

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Important:

I am NOT a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychiatrist, psychologist, doctor, lawyer, or anything else.

However, I am a human being who aspires to be compassionate and empathetic toward others.

If anybody ever feels like nobody cares, or feels really alone, or stressed about something...then talking and opening up can be beneficial.

To reiterate, I am NOT a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychiatrist, psychologist, doctor, lawyer, or anything else.

If anyone needs therapy or counseling, please go to a mental health professional.

But if anyone is in a situation where maybe counseling/therapy is too expensive or inaccessible, and they really need someone to open up to, maybe some people would be interested in getting together and talking.

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I know, I know...meeting strangers is hard enough, so talking in depth can be embarrassing and petrifying.

I'm busy with other groups related to volunteering:

www.meetup.com/SoCalVolunteers

www.meetup.com/LAVolunteer

So I won't post that many events and therefore apologize in advance if this group looks inactive.

Even though I might not post much, if a few people ever want to get together and just talk about anything, just lmk and we can schedule something for you.

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I am NOT trained, educated, qualified, licensed, knowledgeable, or experienced to host any group therapy or anything like that. That's not my intention at all.

This is intended more as an attempt to bring people together to talk and listen to one another.

Maybe some are struggling and feeling very low, sad, lonely, or dejected.

Maybe some aren't able to tell their family and friends about something, and therefore willing to talk to strangers/new people instead.

Maybe some want to vent, rant, or let off steam.

Maybe some have a personal problem and would like others to just hear them out and listen.

I don't want to come across as a controlling and micro-managing jerk. However, my preference is if we can avoid controversial topics like religion and politics.

The goal of this is just to talk in a cordial, civilized, and friendly manner.

Ideally, we want to avoid anyone lecturing others in a condescending/patronizing manner, or selling something, etc...

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This whole idea is still new to me, so I'll think about it some more.

If anyone has ideas and suggestions, feel free to lmk.

I don't know how the Meetup app works for messaging, but if anyone is using the website, message me via https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=69743242&name=wise|man

Again, I know this sounds very bizarre and different from most (if not all) other Meetup groups...but I wanted to at least try.

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Oh, and what I had in mind is to keep this free or low cost. Other meetup groups tend to involve spending $, so my preference is to aim for meeting at places like a park, library, coffee shop, or any other venue that is public and convenient for talking.

Alcohol is popular for many people and events, but I personally don't drink, and bars/restaurants can get loud and expensive, so maybe we can try to avoid such places.

But if any of you want to plan something like a happy hour or a get-together for drinks and conversation, that's fine too. I don't need to attend everything. Feel free to plan and host your own meetup events without me.

Meet new friends groups near Orange, CA