The digital vs the physical touch!

In years gone by, people had time to sculpture and carve intricate works out of stone and wood. Michael Angelo and Rembrandt took weeks maybe even months to create their works of art. People walked to work, they traveled long distances by horse and cart, and continents were still far away and sometimes reachable by wind in the sails. They communicated person-to-person or by hand-written letter. Those folks from past generations took pleasure in sitting and walking. Life went by considerably more slowly, though they too knew what it was like to be drunk and waging war. Now, building styles go straight up reaching the sky, furniture is mostly focused on function and realism in art is considered old fashioned. During a week day, we hardly experience, literally and figuratively what the outside world feels and looks like. After all, we now move from one temperature controlled environment into another, and the tomatoes come from places we have never visited. We “sprint” from one place to the next in sleek, fast machines without taking time to see the sunset. Some members of my somewhat older generation have trouble making the transition from newspaper to internet, from letter to e-mail, from land-line to iPhone. Many of us are wondering what will become of the state of relationships, friendships and physical gatherings to express real feelings face-to-face. Music doesn’t sound like music anymore. As a result of all these changes over the years, are we and members of the x-generation (and beyond) more separate and isolated, more lonely, frustrated? What will become of the interconnectedness between generations? Is the world truly becoming a smaller place? Or is all this social change and technology causing us all to split and “crash”? I like my iPhone and my computer and I make a real effort to get together and talk “Politics” in the local coffee shop with a group of guys. I make my monthly sojourn to the mountains to visit with my son and grandson. The social fabric doesn’t have to fall apart, but it will take deliberate effort. To bridge the apparent divide will take determination and true intention.