How we, as a global society, are paying less and less attention to the people around us and instead more and more attention to the screens surrounding us.
My parents have said it. My grandpa has said it. I knew it was true. But, I didn't fully understand it until I went to Haiti.
When I was there, I was truly surprised by how much people interact with each other. What does that say about us? There, having a neighbour means you know your neighbour. No, not just wave to them as you get into your car. But know them, respect them; they are a part of your family. Everyone is. A community is a family and Terre Froide truly reflected that. Everyone knows each other, everyone loves each other.
When I was there, the number of people I talked to, face-to-face (for more than a minute) in one day, unfortunately may be equivalent to the number of people some of my friends have talked to all summer. Nobody knows each other here. We spend more time talking to the people on the other side of the world, continent, country, or city through our screens, than we do acknowledging the people actually around us.
Don't get me wrong, our technology is an amazing tool to connect with people all around the world and it has created a global network unlike any other. But, that doesn't mean you have to stop being with the people that are physically there. We're forgetting to actually live and instead we're doing everything sitting at our computers all day.
It was refreshing to form relationships with people, when I was in Haiti. We lived in the moment. It wasn't about our electronics, it was about being in the environment and getting to know the people we were with. Look up from your screen from time to time.
Disconnect from technology and instead connect to the real world.
LM
When I was there, I was truly surprised by how much people interact with each other. What does that say about us? There, having a neighbour means you know your neighbour. No, not just wave to them as you get into your car. But know them, respect them; they are a part of your family. Everyone is. A community is a family and Terre Froide truly reflected that. Everyone knows each other, everyone loves each other.
When I was there, the number of people I talked to, face-to-face (for more than a minute) in one day, unfortunately may be equivalent to the number of people some of my friends have talked to all summer. Nobody knows each other here. We spend more time talking to the people on the other side of the world, continent, country, or city through our screens, than we do acknowledging the people actually around us.
Don't get me wrong, our technology is an amazing tool to connect with people all around the world and it has created a global network unlike any other. But, that doesn't mean you have to stop being with the people that are physically there. We're forgetting to actually live and instead we're doing everything sitting at our computers all day.
It was refreshing to form relationships with people, when I was in Haiti. We lived in the moment. It wasn't about our electronics, it was about being in the environment and getting to know the people we were with. Look up from your screen from time to time.
Disconnect from technology and instead connect to the real world.
LM
