The Great Disconnect

I keep convincing myself that I'm not old enough to have one of those, "when I was a kid..." rants. I never walked through miles of snow to go to school. Not once did I fashion a weapon out of buckskin and bailing twine. Walter Cronkite always seemed old to me and there are no first-person recollections of Watergate. My childhood laments revolve around having to get up off the couch to change the TV channels. Another complaint was that I was tethered a stationary phone (hello, rotary dialing!) with a cord that seemed to stretch 300 yards. In retrospect, putting up with ALF and Mr. Belvedere wasn't too bad of an experience.

But, as a true child of the 80s and 90s, I now feel old and crotchety enough to comment on one of the saddest things I've noticed with each successive generation since " I was a kid." In truth, the evolution of technology has always been ebbing this direction since Marconi and Edison, but since I wasn't around then, I can only write about what I've observed in my time: something I call the death of Connection.

We live in an age of immediate and uninterrupted communication. We have, at our fingertips, instant access to other people anywhere on the planet any time we want them. Living in a wireless world has great benefits because we can conduct business and research any topic our heart desires. We aren't bound to offices like we once were and results of our transactions can be felt mere seconds after the 'send' button is clicked. We can also talk to friends and family who live far away from us. There's no denying the enormous upside to the society we inhabit.

But, should it worry me that my 9 year old daughter just texted me from her room? We are bombarded by requests from our 'friends' to 'like' whatever it is they've just posted on Facebook or Pintrest. Surrounded by all our contacts and friend-lists, I wonder if there is more of a disconnect than ever before. In spite of the ability and reality of constantly staying abreast of one another (thanks to Twitter for allowing me to hashtag every single noun on the planet) every second of the day, I wonder if we've substituted true intimacy and empathy with status updates and instant messages? We have become disconnected from one another in the midst of Big Brother's all-access world.

Are we losing the ability to relate to each other outside of a computer, phone, or tablet screen? Can I really have 420 friends or do I simply have 420 snippets of information? I hate to say it, but I wonder if kids today are losing touch with any sense of reality that involves personal experience. Texting is not talking. People view life through YouTube but have no idea what it feels like to actually interact with one another. I know there exceptions and I'm making a huge generalization, but I feel that society is heading this way... issues are being commented on without ever being helped.

As we advocate for ending homeless, it is crucial that we don't fall victim to becoming observant bystanders. As much as we appreciate social media and its beneficial aspects, it would be foolish to discount the human element of interaction and connection. We are thankful for our volunteers and those who not only process and read about what is needed, but who also physically help us in numerous ways. We count on the human connection every day
Sadly, I must go now. My daughter just Skyped me from the living room, wanting to know what's for dinner. SMH...