Khaberni - I will start with the truth we all know and avoid saying:
Social relationships in Saudi Arabia are no longer a warm space as they used to be; they have become a psychological burden that weighs down the entire day for a visiting hour, a courtesy call, or a reluctant presence sharing. Proximity has turned into social credit, caring into a duty, and visits into a ceaseless test of intentions.
We are a community proud of our ties, yes. But we are also a society that expects each individual to always be available, always smiling, always courteous... even at the expense of their comfort, need for peace, and time. As if withdrawing is a crime, apologizing is a shortfall, and silence is a hostile stance that must be explained as quickly as possible.
Absence is no longer understood as personal space, but as a "story" to be told, unresponsiveness turns into a "signal," and being late is read as "coldness," "change," or "overstepping."
All these words scattered in councils and family groups... create a heavy psychological burden that does not appear in speech, but in heartbeats, in the tension preceding events, and in the deep feeling that you are always under scrutiny.
And the important question: How did we get here? The answer is brief... but painful:
We are the ones who created this burden, then believed it to be part of our identity. We repeated "no one should be upset," "they shouldn't talk," and "it's improper," until these words became doors that shut on us, not principles for building respect and affection. Fear has come to govern relationships... not initiative and desire.
And what's more dangerous is that these relationships—by habit—do not allow for honesty. No one can say, "I cannot attend because I am tired."
Or "I need some space for myself." Or "I do not want to be courteous today."
Because these simple statements quickly turn into harsh interpretations: change, arrogance, disconnection, or indifference.
While the truth is much simpler: there are people who need tranquility more than socializing. People who love silently, communicate quietly, and do not have the capacity to attend events every week. We are now in a time where everything around us changes quickly, except our attachment to burdensome politeness.
We still fear the word "offend" more than we fear for our mental health, care about others' impressions more than our comfort. We still place "don’t hurt anyone’s feelings" before "don’t break myself." This imbalance - in this way - cannot continue without a cost, paid by the individual alone.
Social relationships that assume you are always available, always engaging, and always caring are relationships that do not recognize your humanity, but only your capacity to endure, which does not last no matter how expansive its scope and long its reach.
Finally... the relationships that exhaust you more than they reassure you, let them fall by themselves.
