"I worry that the closer the
world gets to our fingertips, the further it gets from our hearts."
American writer
Foer's opinion piece in the June 9
Sunday New York Times really struck some resonant chords for me. He riffed,
with feeling, on the theme "How Not To Be Alone." Indeed.
He pointed a finger at
"diminished substitutes" in our everyday communication with each
other: "Leaving a message on someone's machine is easier than having a
phone conversation—you can say what you need to say without a response; hard
news is easier to leave; it's easier to check in without becoming entangled. So
we began calling when we knew no one would pick up."
More: "Being attentive to
the needs of others might not be the point of life, but it is the work of life."
There are many needs and aspirations
that are the work of life, and your own may often take perfectly natural precedence
over those of others somewhere….
….but I embrace attention to the needs
of those I love and those around me, so I can share in their fulfillment and share
in the pleasures of their aspirations….that is good work….
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