Are we building a world of solitude?
Dawn Notes no.5
A lonely castle ruin stands tall,
Wishing to be seen,
But nobody comes.
Good morning. Today, while I was taking a walk to the store, I had a thought about how we, that is people, are making our lives more and more independent and convenient, yet in the process we lose our social interactions and connections.
Somebody, somewhere has said that humans are social beings and I believe that mostly. According to Harari, our ability to talk and describe things that are not right in front of us - so, stories, describing what had happened on the hunt and such - allowed us, as a species, to survive. So, it makes sense that we would be social by default.
But then again at the store we now have a self-checkout, which most, I think, younger people prefer over interacting with the cashier. I myself often enough prefer not to interact with the cashiers, although in the store I frequent there is basically only one cashier line and a lot of self-checkouts. Another example is mentioned by Nick Hayes, where in his post he contemplates talking through social media, mostly triggered by sending content, doesn't really constitute a conversation. Thus, I am questioning: Is modernity and technology building a world where solitude is the norm? The promise of social media and even the world wide web was that of connection. Are we more connected? Sure, we know a lot more about what is going on in the world, and can contact people almost anywhere in the world. But still, are personal relationships more 'connected' now? I feel there are arguments on both sides.
I will probably return to this topic and write more on it in the future, since I find it really interesting. Please, if you know any books or articles on this subject don't hesitate to email me!
So, I want to encourage you to go on and invite friends over for tea, maybe a game night if you have the time. Message or call someone you haven't spoken to in a while, ask them how they are!