It’s ironic that the more we connect, the less we connect. We have built a technological juggernaut of interwoven personal network connections yet have lost some of the basic skills required to make these relationships meaningful. It’s the analog of knowing how to slam dunk a basketball but forgetting how to dribble.
I’m very thankful that I grew up in an era where the majority of our relationships were face-to-face. It taught me how to dribble. If I made someone feel bad, their facial expressions gave it away. When I did something nice for them, they said thank you. Our face and body were our emoticons – they were immediate and they were not optional. If I forgot to say thank you, it was noticed.