People say that New Yorkers aren't friendly, but I think they're more friendly than Londoners. Here there is a front-footed nature of Americans. You can go out on a night out and meet 10 random people and stay in touch with them, whereas that's not going to happen in the same way in London.
The deeper the experience of an absence of meaning - in other words, of absurdity - the more energetically meaning is sought.
Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.