My experiences weren't the same, because I was geeky, uncoordinated... and six foot four, thank God. I've dealt with it and don't hold on to anger like it sounds like Mark has... but I didn't bother going to my 10th, because, frankly, why? I didn't like the majority of them, the ones I did like I'm still in contact with (or for one particularly notable exception, married to), and otherwise, they're just people, the majority of whom I still won't like, just for different reasons, and even if I'm wrong I could just step out, walk downtown, strike up a conversation at a coffee shop, and have odds just as good for finding a friend, if not better.
I think a lot of posters here are losing the thread here. All arguing about how wonderful people may be in theory after 25 years gets you back up to is "neutral" on the reunion... gosh, it might not suck as much as I expected? Sign me right up! cracki in a sibling comment says that they get a chance to show they've changed; I say no, not really. Who cares if they've changed or not?
If you don't have happy memories, if you aren't nostalgic for a time period where you had no rights and were stuck in a boring room seven hours a day, five days a week, there's no reason to care about the coincidence of who you lived near, so why bother?
(Every year of my life since I was about five or six has been better than the last, and I can't go beyond that simply because I don't remember. Some through circumstances, some because of health issues, some because I'm getting better at living well, which is itself a skill. I'm not much for nostalgia.)
Incidentally, my wife, who isn't particularly a geek and didn't have a bad time of it the way I did, pretty much feels the same. Her friends were mostly in the grade above anyhow, and we've kept in touch. (We'll be seeing all those again literally next week, at my son's first birthday party which has turned into quite the shindig.) Facebook has really eaten into the positive reasons for reunions, even for nongeeks.
You do NOT need to be best friends with your old classmates, but they might actually now be real individuals who have real values and aren't all for that petty HighSchool BS. From a business standpoint and a life standpoint and a HACKER standpoint - the most important thing in my world is my network. Maybe you never got along with your old High School Crew, but now that they are older, they might be able to help you in numerous places in your personal and professional life. But simply ignoring them all together seems to be immature.
Your high school crew may be worth networking with. Mine really wouldn't be.
"but they might actually now be real individuals who have real values"
I disagree... with the word "might". I'm sure they are. My real point is, so what? Are real people so hard to find for you or something? I don't seem to have so much trouble. They're just people and I can find much richer sources of "people" for any given purpose than a high school reunion.
You're rationalizing an emotional belief. Love your high school all you want, I don't care, but don't fool yourself into thinking this is some sort of rational position. Mere coincidental colocation ten years ago is not even remotely the best way to choose anything.
It's an Ice Breaker. It's social. It's Human Interaction at it's finest. It's not what did u just say... a "Mere coincidental colocation ten years ago"??? Really?
You continue to speak as if "human interaction === high school reunion". No. You're either rationalizing or thinking fuzzily, though I'm beginning to trend towards the latter.
There are so many people in the world - why pick the ones you have to work hard, or suffer through, to get the same effect you could get with an easier connection? Just because they are "there"?
