Fun read with lots of thought provoking 'insights.' I particularly liked the flow, ease of read. I do fear for our humanity with screens and tribal thinking replacing faces and conversations. But I also realize that lack of ability to see the future is likely a cause of my insecurity. Thanks for entertaining me while calling me out.
No doubt technology has improved our lives, from transportation and medicine to knowledge acquisition and convenience. So you’d think everyone would be, on balance, in a better mood than our forefathers who had so many more hardships. But I don’t know. The young women working in a nearby coffee shop are consistently sullen despite efforts to say hello and thank them (Others beside myself have noticed this). I thought it was the customer who was supposed to be thanked. Yes, we all have bad days. And I know these observations are anecdotal. But it feels like we’re becoming consumed in our little digital worlds, scrolling our devices, oblivious to the souls around us who might be yearning for a real conversation, connection…maybe even a shared cookie.
Thank you for the comment and thoughtful reply, John. I often wonder whether the improvements cause the worse interactions: the tradeoff for instant communication is impatience; the tradeoff for a smoother life is more disappointment with inconvenience. My sense is that technology also drives the culture more than most people assume—behaviors, norms, even in ethics. And most people, most of the time, will act reflexively to the situation, whether that's a coffee shop from decades ago that's a closed environment or one today that's connected to the world. Although, like you, that doesn't mean that I don't have my preferences.
Oh, so true! We never know what's going on in another person's life and often make untrue or unkind assumptions. Better to go e them the benefit of the doubt.
Fun read with lots of thought provoking 'insights.' I particularly liked the flow, ease of read. I do fear for our humanity with screens and tribal thinking replacing faces and conversations. But I also realize that lack of ability to see the future is likely a cause of my insecurity. Thanks for entertaining me while calling me out.
A fun read with insight is certainly a good place to be—thank you very much for the kind words and the comment.
No doubt technology has improved our lives, from transportation and medicine to knowledge acquisition and convenience. So you’d think everyone would be, on balance, in a better mood than our forefathers who had so many more hardships. But I don’t know. The young women working in a nearby coffee shop are consistently sullen despite efforts to say hello and thank them (Others beside myself have noticed this). I thought it was the customer who was supposed to be thanked. Yes, we all have bad days. And I know these observations are anecdotal. But it feels like we’re becoming consumed in our little digital worlds, scrolling our devices, oblivious to the souls around us who might be yearning for a real conversation, connection…maybe even a shared cookie.
Thank you for the comment and thoughtful reply, John. I often wonder whether the improvements cause the worse interactions: the tradeoff for instant communication is impatience; the tradeoff for a smoother life is more disappointment with inconvenience. My sense is that technology also drives the culture more than most people assume—behaviors, norms, even in ethics. And most people, most of the time, will act reflexively to the situation, whether that's a coffee shop from decades ago that's a closed environment or one today that's connected to the world. Although, like you, that doesn't mean that I don't have my preferences.
Oh, so true! We never know what's going on in another person's life and often make untrue or unkind assumptions. Better to go e them the benefit of the doubt.
Yes—Thank you for the comment, Emily.