I Might Be an A-hole for Asking This...

So here's this weird thing I've been thinking about lately. It all started when I was working on a group project with three others in my grad program. We were assigned to develop a new model that would help predict trends in renewable energy sources, pretty high-stakes stuff considering the current climate crisis. One day, we had a meeting at our usual spot on campus. As the brainstorming started, I noticed how much time everyone else was spending just talking about their lives outside of school, complaining about personal stressors and sharing anecdotes from family gatherings. While I didn't exactly mind hearing these details, it's nice to connect with your colleagues sometimes, the whole conversation felt a bit... off-track? I know, it sounds petty. I mean, what is the role of socializing in academia if not to bond over shared experiences? But there was this nagging feeling that we were losing sight of why we gathered in the first place. So, eventually, I just blurted out something along the lines of 'We're running out of time on this project... can't we focus a bit more?' It didn't go over so well. Everyone got defensive and accused me of being uptight and lacking empathy. They pointed out how important it is to be understanding when dealing with people's lives outside their work, which I get, but still... Now I'm stuck here wondering if I was really in the wrong for pushing back against that conversation flow. Maybe everyone else just needed to vent... or maybe they were right and my desire for efficiency made me an asshole? So yeah, this whole situation has been weighing on me ever since, like there's a stone sitting heavy at the bottom of my stomach...