"it's just hard to meet people in the first place"If it's hard, it's usually a psychological difficulty rather than a lack of opportunity.
Unless you live somewhere exceptionally remote, you're usually surrounded by people and opportunities for meeting them are quite frequent. You could strike up conversations most anywhere: from streets to bus stops to parks to bars to dance and social clubs to special interest groups, work, cafes, parties, conferences, and so on.
Usually, though, most people don't make the effort, for a variety of reasons ranging from fear to awkwardness and lack of social skills.
Once you meet people, though, you have to go further and cultivate acquaintances in to friends, and lots of people fail to do that as well. Even after a friend is made, however, it's still a challenge to get closer and then to maintain the friendship, which again people often fail to do.
If it's hard, it's usually a psychological difficulty rather than a lack of opportunity.
Unless you live somewhere exceptionally remote, you're usually surrounded by people and opportunities for meeting them are quite frequent. You could strike up conversations most anywhere: from streets to bus stops to parks to bars to dance and social clubs to special interest groups, work, cafes, parties, conferences, and so on.
Usually, though, most people don't make the effort, for a variety of reasons ranging from fear to awkwardness and lack of social skills.
Once you meet people, though, you have to go further and cultivate acquaintances in to friends, and lots of people fail to do that as well. Even after a friend is made, however, it's still a challenge to get closer and then to maintain the friendship, which again people often fail to do.