Distance - wow! what has happened to the concept of distance?
It now takes just less than 3 days to complete a flight around the world... less than 100 years ago it took months. This world is rapidly shrinking... we are tiny sphere floating around in space ever growing smaller as man is making discovery's into deep space and has developed technology that makes communication with someone half way around the world as easy as clicking a few buttons.
So just to put this onto perspective and how recently the concept of distance has shrunk..... Say this world is just over 6000 yrs old.... its a rough guess... Now lets think back a mere 5% of that(300 yrs). The fastest form of travel on land was a horse and it had been that way for 5,700 years..... thats a LONG time... Most people never made it out the their county, much less their state or country! People were happy living in one place for their whole life. It was a HUGE world.. so what has happened?
Technology
Technology via car and airplane has made traveling to a different state or even all the way across the continent a day trip.... so yes that is very different from 300 years ago and that type of technology is a huge factor. But I think the biggest factor that affects us today is the change in the way that we communicate, which has only happened in the last 20-30 years. The internet and the use of personal cell phones was the huge step that made distance and the fact that this world IS actually very large an idea of the past.
So how does all this complicate relationships? I'll start at what I think is the root of this problem. Its not cell phones, text-messaging, email, or even online chat... its the development of an idea that has been around for maybe 10 or less years....... Its called social networking. *drum roll*
Yes I believe that this is the beginning of the complications that have appeared in online communication. I honestly believe that cell phones, text-messaging, email, and online chat are really great technology and have really good uses and so does social networking... BUT social networking has a side that has created a huge problem.
How can social networking be bad? Honestly, as most of you know I am on Facebook, Twitter, and Buzz and I think they are great! The biggest problem I see with sites like facebook is the ability to meet and get to know someone without ever shaking their hand or actually talking to them face to face.
What is a friend... I mean really? Are all those people on your friend list that you haven't met REALLY your friends? Okay so in my opinion... no matter how much you txt, message, chat, phone, or even video chat with someone you can't really call them a true friend until you have met them. I think a true friend is someone that likes you for who you are and likes your personality and the way you talk and walk and act around people and that is absolutely impossible to know without spending time with them in person. People can be and are VERY different online!
So yes that is a problem but its sorta leading up to the biggest problem and the biggest question that a lot of us face.... On a deeper than friends level how does an online long distance relationship work and why is it so hard? .... or does it work?
But thats all for tonight.... I have already started my next post and it will be titled "Distance and Relationships" I think you will all want to read it! Follow me or check back within the next few days... I'm going to try to post soon! :)
Thanks and Goodnight!
Jeremy
Writing late again.... hope there aren't too many mistakes :)
5 comments:
I am looking forward to reading your next post.
I don't think you can ever, ever, no not ever, never replace face to face communication. There are just somethings that are made much more difficult, complex, confusing, and misunderstood in electronic communication.
Face to face is and will forever be my favorite way to spend time with my friends.
Looking forward to the continuing post, Jer!
Ooh yeah. Touchy subject, but this was a great post.
Me,too!
Good thoughts...I'm so glad you are sharing!
I totally agree. Communication via anything but face to face, while perhaps adequate and helpful for what is needed, always falls short of a face to face conversation.
I also think social networking is connecting people who otherwise would never have gotten along face to face. I think it not only hampers people from learning how to overcome their weaknesses and fears in such relationships had they been face to face, but also complicates their lives by making them good friends with people they otherwise would have not gotten along with, opening their lives to influences that aren't in keeping with their life style and beliefs. This world wide social networking is causing people to be over-saturated in such a diverse amount of influence... it's not natural or healthy.
Post a Comment