My email freaks out today. The activity bar tells me that data is flowing in, but nothing registers in my incoming mailbox. I’ve done my due diligence, set up the same account three times and nothing. And in this world of virtual business… I need my connectivity.
Crud…! I’m hooked, pulled into the techno abyss of the disconnected. And the whole is getting deeper… Help! Assistance needed! I’m over my head in emotions of “What the heck!”
And with the land of Apple only two miles away, I make a hasty appointment at the nearest watering hole for the digitally lost… The Apple Store’s Genius Bar… not really the social watering holes I frequented in the eighties, but less the alcohol, not much less addictive. For to get to the Genius counter, one needs to wear blinders in avoiding the enchanting temptress new CPU, or evil Queen iMac as she seduces you to purchase her 27 inches of high-definition beauty…
“…Stop! halt this angle of writing Richard; you are only going to work yourself up into a frenzy of Mac addiction… Get off the thought train! Do it now, while you still have a chance to tell the tale of Alberta, your new friend of laptop malfunction.”
Alright, I’ve regained control of my senses and my brain is refocused on the time spent in side-by-side camaraderie with Alberta, and with system rebuilds installing in the background we get down to chatting.
The hum of the bustling store fades into the background as I ask Alberta for her advise to us.
Not new words, but powerful ones that we should never tire of hearing. “Treat other’s as you would like to be treated,” Alberta recommends, “If that happened we wouldn’t have war… we wouldn’t have crime… and that’ how I try to live.”
Alberta is just like you and I. A real person, with a real life history, and with a real set of challenges and blessings… Basically another member of the “The Silent Majority.”
We talk for a while and I discover of a life dedicated to service, to loving fellow-man and of a life that has not sat silent in actively enrolling in volunteer work. Alberta tells of her years of service and of her latest need, “I want to find one more thing to get involved in.”
The Silent Majority at is finest. Alberta does not seek recognition for her service… She does it just because it matters to someone. Makes me question, What if the visible majority, and the policy makers, could model the same example. And if so, what would the world become? Who knows? But, anyway, it’s nice to have a dream.
Alberta looks forward realistically, “As long as we continue in the way we are going with religion… nothing is going to change. If you look back at all the wars we have had over the years… you will see the majority of them have started over religious beliefs
The way I see the world, unless there are drastic changes…! Is that it will be about what it is now… Except, maybe, we will create new enemies.”
I have to ask. “Do you have any advice on how we can change the future for the better?”
“Not really…” Alberta responds, “…That is, unless we get very, very strong leaders.”
I won’t even get into my thoughts on what a strong leader is, but if you have been reading my blog for a while, we may be sharing a similar perspective.
“What about on an individual level?” I further inquire.
Alberta kicks back to her opening advice, “Again… treat others as you would like to be treated…. and interact with people. People are so important. And, it’s the interaction… it’s the networking these days that really helps the world.
I think on a personal level, if we looked, most of us would find some sort of humanity in others, that is, if we choose the right path. I’m not a religious person… so to me, it’s about how we treat each other.
But unfortunately there are a lot of people in this world who have not considered that everyone basically wants the same.”
“How do we do that…?” Alberta explains, “…It’s about putting yourself in their shoes and walking in their place,” she concludes.
And per my disconnected email, no worries, it’s been much better talking face-to-face with a fascinating person.
Alberta, thank you for your time!
Talk tomorrow friends, and by the way, my email is back up, throw me a line if you will.
“We are all in this thing together!”