What is the problem?
At the risk of slipping into my “Walter Matthau” mode, I really wonder what is going on in the world today!
It seems like things like common courtesy, common sense, and just everyday common kindness have become extremely Uncommon…
From the way people drive, to the hurry we are all in, to the way our schedules drive us, it seems like we have lost control over what life is really supposed to be all about! I’m not interjecting religious references here on purpose (ie. Life is about Serving God, serving others, etc), because it seems like we fall back on those clichés and end up right back where we started!
It seems like our “smart” devices (phones, ipads, etc) have taken us over. You can’t go anywhere without seeing 80 percent of everyone around you on their phone, either texting, checking Facebook or Twitter, talking (usually loud enough for me to be involved in their conversation whether I want to or not!), or doing whatever else is possible on the device.
We don’t even need real books anymore, apparently, since we can either read them on the iPad, Kindle or Nook.
It seems to me that there is a set of core values that have disappeared simultaneously with the appearance of all of our smart technology.
When was the last time you picked up a physical book (you can’t replace the feel of pages turning in your hands as you read, or “dog earing” them to mark your place!), wrote a letter (with your pen, on actual paper-emails don’t count!)When was the last time you looked at someone who was passing you in a car and smiled, or waved at someone who was coming towards you in another vehicle, just for the pleasure of that brief human contact?For that matter, when was the last time you CALLED someone and had an actual conversation with them (as opposed to texting a “how r u?”).
We have developed a carapace of protection against contact with others, unless they fit our criteria, circle, interests, etc…can we find it in ourselves to break out of it? Can we get back to handshakes, pats on the back and hugs again? Or are we so afraid that in our “PC” society and world someone may misinterpret our intention? I am just as guilty as the rest, my driving is impatient, I find myself checking FB too often, and I watch more television than I need to, but personally, I want to get back to the place where I would rather read a book, listen to a record (yes, the kind you have to put the needle on, the kind that spins around at 33 1/3 rpm), wave at someone, or try that smile on the “frowner” in front of me at the grocery store. I would like to be the inveterate “hugger” at the risk of someone thinking I’m weird because I like human contact…how about you? This isn’t finished, but maybe this little blurb will help you and I think about it next time we have that brief opportunity to be “the milk of human kindness”…more later!
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