Counterpoint is that you've paid so you feel less bad for not showing up.
The solution is to just accept that some people won't show, and that's okay. Many meetups are fundamentally social events, and sometimes people just aren't in the mood for it on the night. That's okay; even the most extroverted person feels like that sometimes. Especially when "social" means "be social with strangers", which at least double the effort. And what's the alternative? Force people to come against their will with a long face? Aside from being unworkable, that would be silly.
Some people get very worked up about this, but IMHO this is like getting worked up over the weather. Perhaps understandable in some cases, but also totally pointless and changes nothing.
The solution is to just accept that some people won't show, and that's okay. Many meetups are fundamentally social events, and sometimes people just aren't in the mood for it on the night. That's okay; even the most extroverted person feels like that sometimes. Especially when "social" means "be social with strangers", which at least double the effort. And what's the alternative? Force people to come against their will with a long face? Aside from being unworkable, that would be silly.
Some people get very worked up about this, but IMHO this is like getting worked up over the weather. Perhaps understandable in some cases, but also totally pointless and changes nothing.