All the people that I meet.....useful or useless is NOT something that even comes to mind. What does come out is always what interests we have in common & a common belief system brings it more into connection.

The people I knew when I lived in Calif were more the way you describe & I could not connect with anyone for 54 years. The down to earth people where I moved to 11 years ago are all friendly & we find that different common interests & common values draw us together. Sometimes it is a closer connection while we are working on a project together but the connection stays even if the close working together because of sharing that common goal. Some people we just connect with because there is just a commonality that creats a connection....not because theu are usefull or not.

That is a very ME oriented way of thinking & ciuld be looked at as very selfish & possibly very arrogant. I personally connect with other smart people who don't flaunt their intelligence & just are because it is who they are not an air about themselves that needs to be waved like a flag.