with other people and understand them and help them,
we are missing the most essential part of our own lives.
Harold Taylor
I get a bit worried sometimes about the directions our society is taking. At times I feel very confident that we're building something positive and helpful, but other times I'm concerned that our lack of human connection--partly caused by our addictions to screens and information--is going to cause us grave harm in the not-too-distant future. It sometimes seems that we don't live with other people anymore, but that we live around them. That we know a lot of information about them, but that we don't understand them anymore. We read on our screens what they eat, what they like and dislike, how they react to certain things, but we don't have a whole lot of experience with them in person.
And that's causing a great deal of imbalance in ourselves. As Harold says here, it's essential that we live with others, understand their needs, and help them--if we're to make the most of our own lives. If we can't or won't do these things, then we lose a huge part of who we are, and our potential is never realized, for most of out potential has to do with how we can help others, what we can do to make their lives richer and more fulfilling and, in many cases, even more bearable.
"Love isn't love til you give it away," says a song, and that's a simple truth in life. But if we've no one to give it to, we rob the others of receiving our love, and we rob ourselves of the benefits of sharing love. We're here on this planet to learn to love, not to watch screens and text each other. Giving to others cannot be done with an emoji--it has to be done with the heart and spirit, and the human touch that comes with it is one of the most important elements of our giving.
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