Is it bad that I don't bother trying to make friends?

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I've had so much disappointment trying to make friends that I don't bother trying these days. I'm middle aged and I don't even like myself.

I don't either. Just do what you are comfortable with.

I keep to myself in lonerville and I'm fine with that.

If you have found a level of contentment that's what I think matters. Try to do something that makes you feel good about yourself each day. For instance: you reached out and started this meaningful thread!

I've tried so many times to make new friends. Seems to start out kinda fine. If someone makes an effort I be sure to make the effort to connect in return. And I may follow that up with a second or sometimes a third attempt. Its just that it tends to end up with me carrying the load, they stop making any effort at all as they realize how odd I am. I have a couple friends - they exert to the extent they want and we have a low key reciprocation. It works for me. I do not want much social interaction and I see/talk to my family quite often enough also.

Online spaces can provide a bit of connection. Gaming is nice, but can be sporadic due to people's lives. I used to enjoy youtube before it went to all algorithms. Then I started enjoying reddit but its dying a very fast death to algorithms now too. Hobbies help if you can find something you enjoy.

There's an interesting document about making friends, well worth a read:
"Kitestring: Friendship project":
https://www.hinterlandlab.com/case/kitestring

In summary: get out there and do things you enjoy. Activites where you meet people. Friendships are often made through doing things together.

This... This is always what happens. Being odd isn't easy because we're all odd in different ways. But when I am happy, apparently, I am overwhelmingly so. I've never understood why my happiness makes some people nervous. And I stupidly thought I would go try to talk to an old friend on FB and be brave enough to not mask. I think I may have scared the poor guy into silence. And because I 'didn't take a hint' when he fell silent, he lashed out at me. I apologized for alarming him but I won't apologize for being me. I am odd, and I love being odd in this way. I just don't love being treated like a pariah for being 'uncool.'

I don't bother making friends and yet they always seem driven to try to make me into a friend. As much as I don't make the effort, it seems enough effort for someone to make me their friend. You don't need to make any effort to make friends but when someone comes along and thinks you are worth it as a friend. Just go with the flow course they're probably making that entire effort to be your friend and don't care if you are this way. I think sometimes that the effort of avoiding people makes people come to me. Cool, I guess?