The other day a friend
and I had a conversation about how much the fire service, and life in general
has changed because of technology. He
shared with me a quote he saw on Facebook: “We live in the most connected, yet
disconnected world. Why is that?” I thought about this afterwards and realized
how it all began:
Telegraph,
telephone, radio, television (with rabbit ears), satellite, and cable. Telstar, Atari, Nintendo, Gameboy, Xbox, and
Wii. Desktop computers, laptop, internet, cell phone, Smartphone, and Wi Fi
hotspots. AOL, MySpace, Facebook,
instant messaging, texting, and Twitter.
Ugh . . . try saying all
that in one breath. We truly are the
most connected society in the world, both good and bad. So why the big disconnect?
I remember growing up as kid where we
would be outside all day (save for inclement weather) and the only time we
reported home was for lunch and dinner.
From sun up to sun down, it was the norm of the times to soak up as much
Vitamin D as possible on those bright, sunny, summer days. If it rained, we stayed in and played board
games, talked about life, or tormented our younger siblings. There was also a time when neighbors sat on
each other’s porches into the wee hours of the morning and just BS’d about
everything while trying to solve the pressing issues of the day. Our technologically advanced world has
changed all this, which leads to my next case in point. 
Recently, I worked a night overtime shift
and noted the most curious, but not surprising thing. Five of us sat in the dayroom chairs with the
TV on and nobody watching or speaking to each other. Why?
Because 4 out of the 5 had their attention consumed with the latest text
or Facebook posting on their smartphones.
After about an hour of this disconnect, I retired to my cube to read and
then go to bed. This is the new normal,
not only in the fire service, but also society at large. We have so immersed ourselves into the world
of instant information that one of our most essential life skills is slowly
eroding: basic interpersonal communication.
An individual can have 1000 Facebook
friends, yet fail to recognize that someone he/she works or lives closely with
is having difficulty navigating life’s obstacles. We can also spend hours on end perusing the
World Wide Web (I am guilty of this) planning our next adventure, all the while
the relationships around us are crumbling because we fail to do one simple
thing: communicate with someone without hiding behind a text or an email. For example, think about how many times you
have been in a restaurant and witnessed and an entire group seated at a table
not conversing with each other because they were texting or talking to someone
else not present that day.
As I said in an early post, it is our
fundamental duty as a member of the human race to leave this world a little
better off than we found it ( even if it is just in some small way). This begs the question: How can we do this if
we don’t pay attention to what’s going on right in front of us?
Don’t get me wrong, I think our advanced
technology is a wonderful thing and has contributed to solving many a local,
national, or world crisis. However, I
believe that in order to effect meaningful change we must do so on a more
personal level. Let’s start with at
least one planned night a week to unplug from the world and just live in the
moment at hand. Substitute computer,
smartphone, and TV time with meditation, yoga, a walk in the park, or a
one-on-one conversation with a loved one or significant other that is devoid of outside
distractions. If we are successful, maybe we can extend it two and so on.
Ultimately, we crave the intimate
connection that interpersonal communication provides. We want to be heard, just maybe not on the
global scale that our current technology affords us. As food for thought, I
leave you with the commentary of Mr. Jimmy Buffett whose song echoes the
sentiments of this post. Feel free to
add to this conversation either for or against my views, as I welcome all who
may present.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, RHYTHM OF A DRUM
SMOKE SIGNALS AND TELEGRAPHS
MADE THE AIRWAYS HUM
BUT THAT’S ALL ANCIENT HISTORY
LIKE BONGS AND LINCOLN LOGS
NO WE’RE LIVING LIKE THE JETSONS
IN A WACKY WIRELESS FOG
TALKIN’ SQUAWKIN’ HAWKIN’
WHO KNOWS IF ANYBODY’S GETTING’ THROUGH
TOASTERS TALK TO CRACKBERRIES
BOSTON TO BOMBAY
TEENAGE SCHEMES ARE MA BELLS DREAMS
AS THE MINUTES TICK AWAY
WE ACT LIKE CRAZY PEOPLE
TALKING TO OURSELVES
CRASHING CARS FOR CONVERSATION
BUT THAT SHIT FLIES OFF THE SHELVES
THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY'S
CRAWLING LIKE AN LA TRAFFIC JAM
CHORUS
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
SO CONNECTED AND ALL ALONE
FROM THE PIZZA BOY TO SOCIALITE
WE ALL SALUTE THE SATELLITE
WON'T YOU TEXT ME WITH THE MASTER PLAN
YOU'RE LOUD AND CLEAR BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND
I'M A DIGITAL EXPLORER IN ANALOG ROAM
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
DO YOU REMEMBER DIALING UP
YES, I REMEMBER WELL
NOW I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE
WITHOUT THAT SACRED CELL
I THINK THAT I MIGHT DIE IF I MISS ANYTHING AT ALL
TEXT ME, SEND ME EMAIL, LINK ME UP GIVE ME A CALL
I'M A.D.D. ON AOL AND TRYING TO READ THE WRITING
ON THE WALL
CHORUS
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
SO CONNECTED AND ALL ALONE
FROM THE PIZZA BOY TO SOCIALITE
WE ALL SALUTE THE SATELLITE
WON'T YOU TEXT ME WITH THE MASTER PLAN
YOU'RE LOUD AND CLEAR BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND
I'M A DIGITAL EXPLORER IN ANALOG ROAM
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
INSTRUMENTAL
NOW I'M A REAL JUNGLE JUMPER,
I'M A MEGAHERTZ MAN
I SWING FROM TREE TO TREE
ON THE VERY LATEST PLAN
ON THE DOWNLOAD
IN THE DROPOUT ZONES
IN EVERY MAJOR CITY CROSS THE LAND
I GOT BOB MARLEY ON MY RINGTONE
GET UP STAND UP
REACH OUT TOUCH SOMEBODY, MAN
CHORUS
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
SO CONNECTED AND ALL ALONE
FROM THE PIZZA BOY TO SOCIALITE
WE ALL SALUTE THE SATELLITE
WON'T YOU TEXT ME WITH THE MASTER PLAN
YOU'RE LOUD AND CLEAR BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND
I'M A DIGITAL EXPLORER IN ANALOG ROAM
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
I'M A DIGITAL EXPLORER IN AN ANALOG FOAM
EVERYBODY'S ON THE PHONE
© 2006 Coral Reefer Music (BMI) & Little Flock Music (BMI) & Alsation Music (BMI) admin by Bug Music & Will Kimbrough Music (BMI) admin by Bluewater Music Inc.
In Health and Wellness,
Tim
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