In far too many ways nowadays, colorful ways of life have become black and white. The technological takeover today seems to have bred mass ignorance and shallowness. Time is divided into slots where even social interaction is squeezed in, and dark clouds of forgetfulness or disrespect towards other human beings’ needs has become commonplace. Everyone’s so buried in their cell phones that they don’t even see ‘the lady struggling with her groceries.’
My friend Eddie and I tease each other about being technological dinosaurs, outcasts in the crazy, hurried, ‘you-snooze-you-lose’ lifestyle of today where few people, like him and me, seem to take time to occupy their minds with anything but jobs that need to be done. Both of us have trouble with simple word processing tasks like cut and paste sometimes. But we embrace simplicity and recognize the beauty in nature.
These days, everybody has schedules and work and ‘open time’ to be filled up like partitions even for friendship. Of course, we all have obligations and ways to occupy our time, but does everything have to be so set and planned–even verbally? Often when a friend and I arrange to get together, the dialogue leaves me feeling like I am being put in a time slot. I find myself asking, does he/she really have to tell me his entire schedule and where I can fit in rather than simply say when he has time to meet up with me? It only sounds like boasting to me about his importance in the world. And to be blunt, I’m not particularly interested in the times we can’t get together.
And don’t even get me started on the annoyance of people ‘talking loudly’ on their cell phones. it’s either they or the phone’s signals! Often, when I am with a friend, or even on a romantic date, the guy or gal leaves the cell phone on with its pesky ring tones and notification sounds there to interrupt our interaction! I feel like throwing my friend Joel’s smartphone in the pond across the street every time the stupid bird tone notifies him of an incoming email, like it’s big, urgent news. It’s offensive! I feel that there is a time for business and technology, and there is a separate time for friendship. That’s why there’s voice mail, and emails and texts will be readable later too.
Still, no one is as bad as my friend Cheryl who would rather communicate through facebook using up way more time and navigation than talking on the phone or texting, or even meeting outside (she lives just a few houses away.) She is constantly buried in the phone’s infinite knowledge to the point of missing the beauty in nature. “What a beautiful duck that is!” I made the mistake of saying to her one time.
O.K., fine. The world continues to ‘upgrade,’ and technology will grow and grow and improve our lives in many ways. The prospects for less societal rigidity are doubtful. But can’t we, as a civilized society, PLEASE remain adaptable to different situations and tailor our treatment of others accordingly?