It’s hard.

I don’t think the world stops to take in account that not everyone is technologically inept. I know I am not this great technology guru that the innovative world we live in just assumes we are. Yes, I am young. I grew up in the age of computers and internet, but when my mother or grandmother comes to me with questions, I will always refer them to the all-powerful Google.

I am that girl in class that never has her laptop. Frankly, it’s because I don’t understand its use other than to type up papers, but I also still hand write my papers that I’m eventually forced to turn into a word document. I value the physical. I still buy physical copies of my books because there is something thrilling about the coarse binding rubbing against my hand and the intoxicating smell of the paper bound together to create a work of art.

Call me old-fashioned, but I still roam around book stores because there is no greater joy than to be around pages filled with history and knowledge. I’ve been called stubborn because I’d rather pick up a book than a Kindle.

There is something lost during the transition from the physical. We rely on our phones and computers for everything. It’s how we teach our children, and how we communicate with our friends. As a child, I was told that there was something to be gained from reading the newspaper or talking to your neighbor, but I wonder how many people still take the time to even say hi to their neighbor, or read the local paper.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Google and social media. It make life a lot easier, but in some ways it also makes life harder.

It’s hard to expect people to be courteous and polite anymore because everyone has their eyes glues to their cellphone. We are losing our something so basic because the world is advancing into a new era.

Technology in a sense is cold. It mechanical and the more we rely on it the more mechanical we become. I was listening to the radio the other day. Yes, I am one of those who is always glued to some streaming service. So, while I was listening, the radio host started explaining how he was tempted to take Alexa out of his home because his children were becoming short and sippy with him. His 5 year-old daughter told him that she didn’t understand why he was so made because when she would tell Alexa to do something that she would do it without complaint.

I couldn’t help but think that we are at fault. Technology is great and has taken us into a future where things can be simpler, but we are what is at fault. We lose our basic human decency the farther we progress because we don’t realize that as social media and technology begin to take bigger roles in our lives that we have to keep up with our humanity. It’s easy to get lost.

It’s hard to imagine a world without respect and the common decency to say thank you. If we choose not to keep up with the changing times, we will lose something that is the glue to keeping society together.

So, put down your phone or laptop and do something that befits others. Go see your family or an old friend. Take a cooking class or learn from someone you know. Hold that door open even if it means losing your spot in line, and always say please and thank you. Remember, you have choices and those determine your impact on society.