How these, modern day inventions that are supposed to, help us connect with each other, actually, drives us, farther apart from one another, the woes, of modern day technological, advances, translated…
After supper, people put down the household chores, sat in front, of that fireplace that brought us light, and warmth, started, talking of, the harvest, the weather, marriages, and illness. Until that last leave that’s, carried away by the evening breeze fell, our eyes started, getting heavy like the fire, slowly, put out of the fireplace, did the conversations, slowly, died down. And, everything we didn’t get a chance to talk about, we’d, saved them, in our dreams then………
Later, the conversations after supper started, getting shorter, shorter, and shorter, the loosely flowing words, easily got taken over by the crackling of the fire, what replaced the words, was how we’d, used our hands, to hold the conversations, inside that bright, squarish, box. Like a marathon of words, because it’s, always bright there, and, there’s, no differentiating between night or day, and so, the conversations flowed on, endlessly. Chime! Another, brand new message. It’s, just that nobody knows, who those words were, directed to anymore, and, who’s, actually, hearing the words we’re, speaking, it’s like, we’re all, singing karaoke, in the room, with all our emotions, flowing outward, but not towards, anyone particular.
I’m not good at conversations, especially when there’s, a huge crowd. I can’t open the discussions, can’t chime in, can’t find the punch line, and when I’d nodded, I wasn’t, enthusiastic enough. And even so, I’d, signed up for, many groups.
what that might, look, like
The manager of the 24-hour super convenience shop is very articulate, having the customers adding themselves into the group, the limited edition products, the group gourmet foods, the specialty items, half off on coffees, on duty, to take the calls, 24/7, and showed the concerns for the neighbors too. When I’d, not felt like heading out, I’d, slide on my cell phone to look, and if there are the products that called out to me, I’d, click it, and saved it for later. In the summers, the cold items came by the rounds, I’d, held it in for weeks, and finally, I still, couldn’t, turned down how the shop manager’s waving at me. But, there were the times, when I saw the other managers from other stores, waving out at the front of their shops, called out the limited edition goodies, that stood on the shelves, nobody touched. But the next time, these items caused that huge storm in the Groups again, and I still can’t help but write plus one!
The garage owner, that young lad working at the breakfast shop, the elderly who’d sold the vegetables, the local pharmacy, all are grouped together. The groups are these, secret societies, opened to its members, 24/7, a VIP room online, that fireplace in my palm, with the fire that never, dies.
I had nothing to do, checked to see what sorts of lunch menus are available for my coworkers, the delivery deli had, what sorts of meals today, what sort of seasonal goodies from my favorite fast-food restaurants. Although, I’d, never ordered, but, it’s, a good way, to help me, pass my time.
I also, dove in between the groups of friends, shared interests, business-only interactions, and those who can’t meet up, due to business, but had connected to, and became, a part of the groups. Of these, there would always be one, or two speakers, I’d, envied how they’d, had the courage, to toss out the words into, the vast silence of the community. Because of the awkwardness of nobody responding, I’d, selected the cowardly silence, chose to not get engaged in the conversations. Or, I’d, chimed in, wanted to feel the warmth of interactions, but, not sure, because I can only, give off, of a tiny spark.
What made me sad, is that every now and then, there would be the message of “So-and-So had, left this conversation”, like how someone, goes to open up the door wide, and leaves, in the midst, of a conversation. While the rest who’d remained, started, getting, distracted, or kept that window closed, or didn’t want to express a thing, just kept the screens on, but not made a sound, helping to feed to, the stubborn existence, of these, unimportant, groups.
But I see, those pedestrians, walking on the streets, with their fingers, flying across the cell phone screens, and where had, those messages, gone to?
And so, we’d become, too reliant on these devices, these new means of interacting with each other, we’d, let the more important, face-to-face kinds of interactions, slide, plus, it’s easier, to say something only once, posting the words onto a group, instead of telling everybody who needs to know separately. But this also, made the distance between people farther, and farther apart.