The New Year brings with it crystal ball forecasts and visions of a future world. Technology-laden lives focused on brining the world closer to each of us is an ongoing theme. An article in USA Today, the author writes, “What consumers want is access beyond their laptops and smart phones to the vast array of Internet-based entertainment and information…” A few hours later I went the gym and with PDA in hand, listening to web-streamed music of my choice. A quick scan of the hard and soft bodies on weights and machines identified a building full of people pumping, sweating, and listening to something through earphones attached to all types of technology stashed away underneath workout shorts. Now and then you could hear actual chatter; only to find the individual on their cell phone. Stopping to pick up something to drink, the café was filled with laptop facing one another and PDA sweating to the pounding of text messages. Satellite radio was playing in my car allowing me to again listen to music of my choice without benefit of local traffic break-ins, commercials, or mindless banter. Running through mountains of emails filled with poor spelling, incomplete sentences, and offers of pharmaceuticals from Canada from my unknown best friend ended my day. Living within a world of technology promising to bring me closer to the world had succeeded in a day of minimal to no contact with other humans and almost void of actual verbal and facial communication.
I never felt more distanced from friends, family, or my community.
These concerns should not be construed as ramblings of Baby Boomer or tech isolationist. The ability to access knowledge unimaginable to me as a child excites me every time google.com or yahoo.com is accessed. Colleagues known though LinkedIn and blog debates between the brightest thinkers on the planet are the norm. Skype chatting is a miracle to anyone who actually remembers long distance charges or operated assisted overseas telephone calls. Technology induced connectivity enhances every thought or decision made; brainstorming ideas with a small group or problem solving among colleagues has been truncated by the lure of an individually focused, self gratifying, technology generated life.
The reality of this strangely odd, well populated isolation was during the winter holidays. Selecting individuals from an Outlook contact list to communicate with was the forerunner of creating an electronic message of well wishes and acknowledgement of a holiday donation made in the individual’s honor. The Baby Boomer was close to becoming a communication drone.
Walt Disney created an exhibit for the New York World’s Fair – the World of Tomorrow. Aside from a fascinating animatronics display and history lesson, that song that stayed with me for years (…now is the best time of our lives…) and the blast of air conditioning when you walked in, the World of Tomorrow emphasized how our lives were better yet still stayed the same. My resolution for this New Year is to make my life better while strengthening those things that really are my life – family, friends, and thoughts. So, for every two emails I send I will write one personal note to someone. Each time I work out with my earphones; insure saying something to the person next to me – face to face. Each day after going on line for news, research, or to chat, spend a few minutes holding a book and reading words on a printed page. The dream to one day go into space or under the sea is still an ultimate goal; the yearning to hold a hand, wipe away a tear, or laugh with someone so hard you hurt is just as important.
Now IS the best time of our lives. Walt Disney was correct.
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