About a year ago I was talking with a girl I met on the street. She was in her mid twenties and we got on the subject of Facebook. “I just dropped my Facebook account,” she told me. Now, know that I am not proposing that the virtual world is all bad. There is much good information to be found online and it has provided us a fabulous tool for reaching far beyond our geographic borders. But with it comes a price. I watch my daughter as she grows to understand its use. We have countless discussions on the isolating and addictive consequences of overuse, and at times I fear that she is becoming somewhat addicted to the draw of games the likes of Mindcraft.
So my wife and I carefully watch her, carefully monitoring her use of computer time, much more preferring her to play outside, read, spend time with friends or other face to face activities with the world.
My street friend went on to tell me of her reasoning for dropping her Facebook. An account of an experience she had while at a scheduled job interview. How as she looked around a room that was filled with sloppy dressed kids buried in their mobile devices. Even how one girl sitting next to her leaned over to ask for help in reading and understanding some paperwork that needed to be filled out. “No one in the room even knew how to look at each other,” she recounted as she went on to describe how no one seemed prepared to even offer a professional handshake. “It scared me to death!” she told me. “That day I dropped my Facebook account.” By the way… she got the job.
That conversation inspired me, and over these years of reaching out to strangers, I’ve heard many similar stories. Yet, the virtual web is here to stay. So as responsible people we use it for positive purpose. As I mentioned earlier, “there is much good information to be found online and it has provided us a fabulous tool for reaching far beyond our geographic borders.”
The key then must lie within each of us to choose wisely in how we spend our chatting time and in whatever else we use this digital domain for.
Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google and whatever comes next are all permanently here. Leaving it in our individual hands to regulate exactly how we use it. Plus, without it, Operation-365 could not exist on the global scale that it is becoming… and, we surely would not be having this ongoing dialogue.
We’ve met some amazing people in building this dynamic community or ours. For that, I will ever be grateful. Not only for the minds that have brought this brilliant technology to us, but more profoundly, for all of you who are bravely contributing to all that we represent.
It is an honor to be with you as we grow our culture of understanding.
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Today a warm welcome to Interview-365 contributor Denise, who gives us a few wise words of wisdom regarding balancing life with technology.
Question One
If you had the stage… the undivided attention of the world… and all were listening… What words of wisdom, council or advice would you share?
“Peace, Hope, Faith”
Question Two
Looking toward the future… as far, or as close as you want to imagine (one year or hundreds of years)– Where do you see the people or the planet … or, what do you think we should be doing now to prepare for the future?
“I feel we are not paying attention to our surroundings,observing the trees, flowers, birds. I hope our younger generation will grasp this and not just focus on technology. I think if we’re not careful,the nature will no longer be as prevalent. This would be so sad. We must teach the younger ones about our hearts and soul and make sure they connect to what is being.”