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Today's
Meditation:
I used to love to walk into buildings before class at
the colleges where I've taught. I would walk in and
see a lot of people talking to each other before class,
sharing their thoughts and ideas, talking about what they
did this weekend or this morning or last night, talking
about classes and homework and readings. Nowadays,
though, the crowds are still there, but silence reigns
because the vast majority of the students are on their
phones-- not talking on them, looking at them. Their
sense of community in that situation doesn't even exist
because they're looking at so-called "social"
media, and seeing what someone else who isn't there with
them has posted rather than talking to the person standing
or sitting next to them.
The sense of belonging in our modern societies is
disappearing, and many people are suffering because of
it. We all need support and encouragement, and if
the only place we find it is on the screen of some device,
we'll be sorely lacking and missing it. I do my best
to engage students in face-to-face conversation, and very
often I can see that it's appreciated. Very often
also, though, I can see that the person just wants to get
back to looking at the screen.
More and more of my students are having problems relating
to other people-- I'm getting more letters from deans
telling me that a particular student has sought help from
a mental health service at school and that they hope I'll
be understanding in my grading. More and more of my
students sit completely quietly in class, not daring to
give answers because they think they'll be wrong, and they
think they'll be judged. They feel isolated and
alone, and the screen does nothing to help them deal with
those feelings.
The loneliness of our current age may be the most
insidious ever. You can have a zillion friends on
Facebook now, but not a single person to talk to when
things go bad. You can know how to send a fifty-word
text in fifteen seconds, but not know how to express your
frustration to the person you're with. Human beings
have always felt lonely and isolated, but it seems to be
getting worse, not better. Perhaps we need to figure
out how to put down the phones and the computers more in
order to engage with the communities of which we're a
part.
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