Bowing out

It seems we spend a majority of our time filling our calendars with plans. Stuffing every minute with seemingly "vital" social engagements, sometimes weeks and months out. As the events creep closer, especially those with more meaning such as a good friends birthday or wedding, why do we feel less and less inclined to go? 

Here we are fighting to the death to always be engaged and social, needing to feel the importance of being invited but at the last minute we don't want to attend said event. Have we become a society that's so inwardly facing that all we truly care about is that people view us as popular and we devalue them as a person as to not attend because we are exhausted from ensuring we are perceive as popular?

What happened to committing and putting those before yourself, especially when the special event is celebrating them? Yet, when our friends or family bow out on our special occasions we are truly hurt. Why don't they want to celebrate me? Perhaps because we spend all day celebrating ourselves that we no longer have the energy to celebrate others.