What Usefulness Has To Do With The Crisis Of Men’s Friendships

A strange thing happens when people stop needing you: Life gets easier, and sometimes emptier. Your children solve their own problems. Your colleagues rely on you less because technology can do more of what you once did. Nobody calls because the car won’t start or the sink is leaking. Modern life has eliminated countless small burdens. It has also eliminated countless reasons for other people to need us.

For some men, there’s a psychological cost. We call it loneliness, but loneliness isn’t always the problem. Some men have spouses, children, friends, and colleagues. They aren’t alone. They feel unnecessary.