I’ve noticed on the streets groups of young people, clearly
together for some reason, but each person has their telephone out intrigued with
texting, gaming, or wireless conversations. Even at restaurants and other
gathering places individuals have their phones on the table, texting others, or
engrossed in conversation via technology and not with the person they are physical
with. At one time this is where “real” friendships bloomed. When people use
electronic media in front of the people whom they are in physically vicinity
with (except in emergencies) they are saying, “You are not important.” We seem to have a generation of individuals that
do not value inter-personal communications.
I pray it is not so. For as long as there have been humans
we have craved real relationships, built on mutual admiration, physical
connection, with limited proximity constraints. I’m not saying that people cannot
retain already build relationships via technology. Today a friend is loosely
termed as how many people I can get to friend me on the social network sites.
Are all these people really your friends? Most will agree they are not. Those
that you hold close are the ones you see on a regular basis, or those that
you’ve established years ago that you now catch up with regularly (with handwritten notes, emails, telephone calls,
or even texts), and those that you can call in the middle of the night and
trust in fact that they will answer your call.
To our youth and young adults I say think, are the relationships you are building temporary or long lasting? Are the ones that are with you physically of importance? Then treat them as such. Place technology way and get to know the person or persons who you are within touchable closeness. Use the technology to build on established relationships not frivolous counts of I have an outrageous count of non-real friends.
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