Have we lost the Human Touch? : Angela Berenger
The Human Touch lies within us in different layers, how we express the way we feel towards the ones most close to us, whether it be a cuddle, a lingering or innocent kiss, handshake or a pat on the head or shoulder or maybe we may show it in certain actions to show somebody we care.
However, according to a recent news headline, we seem to be losing this contact we have through with others, as we slowly isolate interactions we may have personally or socially. We have become anxious and shy to communicate with others as the latest technology continues to take over our lives in order to make life simpler or more convenient for us.
Mobile phones; handy when we need to communicate in our daily interactions or in an emergency, sms’s make that time quicker and easier not to be stuck on the line for however long. Computers provide various ways to communicate through our e-mail addy’s; which is now printed on every personal information form, address book or diary, chat rooms and popular sites where we can IM someone at our fingertips in the office or home. Handwriting a letter to someone is becoming a ‘thing of the past’; Christmas and birthday cards are slowly being replaced by well wishes via e-mail and sms messages. Personal touches are becoming a rarity, even templates well wishing for various occasions are making technology a breeze to communicate and do our part to make contact without a fuss and less of a time waster.
Computer games; look how it’s evolved from pac-man and space invaders to virtual games live on the PC, now there are people who have no desire to venture into the outdoors while so much is occurring within their very own homes. Whatever happened to the days where children rode their bikes and played their imaginary games in cubby and tree houses? Our families had to bribe or scold us to come inside to have our meals, whereas nowadays we bribe or scold our children to get away from the screens right in front of their eyes!
Isn’t it funny in an ironic way that we seem to catch up with people we haven’t come across in what seems like a long time- at weddings and funerals? How many times have we heard the sentence…”Why does it take a funeral to get people together again, when we have lost a loved one, we should catch up soon for a BBQ or get together’ and the reply is usually ‘Yes I know, we should definitely catch up” and how often does these interactions actually follow through?
Will that Human touch and affection we feel towards another, lose its momentum and continue to isolate us and turn us into robots of routine and a lifestyle that is based upon time management and money in our pockets. Of course; earning money to live the lives we desire is an essential part of our lifestyle, yet how hard is it to turn up at family members or an old friend’s house to say hello and to see how their life has been and give them a warm hand shake or embrace.
Tags: community , human touch , writing