Connections are important for us. The technology we have today allows us to be connected almost 24/7. We don't have to wait for anything, because it's all right at our finger tips. Everything is readily available at the touch of a button. We get lost? There's GPS to put us on track again. Need to know a fact? Google is right there to answer our questions. Being connected has begun to be less and less of a hardship with the evolution of technology. But what we aren't addressing is the ever-mounting loss of our natural ways to connect with others emotionally. Technology has opened many doors for us, but are we paying attention to the ones that it's closed?
Looking around at society today, it's astounding to see the impact our phones have on our everyday human interactions. People will get together for dinner and spend the whole evening only occasionally glancing up from their phones. This is not how our connections with others should play out. We should not be going through the motions of a social gathering without gaining some new connection or development from it. In some ways Technology has stilted our emotional growth and lessened our chances to learn from one another. Social media shouldn't be the place to gather info about each other. Facebook and Instagram can only offer the most basic surface level view of a person. In order to see the beauty of an individual as a whole, it takes commitment and time together to learn about each other.
One door that technology seems to have closed rather snugly is the one that leads to patience. Our phones don't make us wait, so they aren't helping us develop this necessary skill. This is one area of life that older generations had in excess. Not having the advancements in tech during the twentieth century might have stunted the business world in some ways back then, but the connections people had with friends and family were made completely through the patience they had to learn about each other. All relationships developed organically and were maintained with dedication to the other. This is a practice that we have moved away from with each new technological update, but patience should not be tossed aside. Phones and computers may be charged and ready to cater to our every need, but they can't replace the feeling of natural human connection. The waiting game may seem archaic, but patience is something that everyone needs to have in their tool belt.
The things that matter most in our lives are not the ones that are given to us at the touch of a button. Technology can only offer your life so much fulfillment, but deep friendships and connections with the people around you have the ability to offer you so much more. So let's find our patience again. Let's spend the afternoon with a friend and not worry about checking social media. Go on an adventure to a new place and don't get frustrated with the lack of cell-service. Don't let technology overrun the importance of having the patience to connect with others. So take a breath, grab a coffee with a friend, and revel in the patience of it all.
