The spark of human connection

There are undoubtedly advances in technology that help humanity. However, humans need human contact. Technology will never be able to replicate much less replace this basic human need.

Typically, in many scenarios, technology can only be trusted to let us down on a regular basis. When it does, a human must step in resulting in the process taking double the time of having a human do it in the first place.

There is a time and place for all things including technology. But perhaps there remains a question around where technology helps and where it hinders or even harms.  

I read an excellent post online yesterday about a father’s experience of his son attempting to persuade him to shop and bank online. Or in other words, to remove the need to go out and mix with other humans. Isolating ourselves from others is not progress, it’s one of many contributing factors to the growing issues with mental health.

In managing my own health better, I am pleased to say that I am finally practising slowing down. I am no longer attempting to squeeze unrealistic stress raising amounts out of myself or my day (mostly!). This has the added benefit of making everything more manageable and even enjoyable. That’s a win/win right there.

So today as I was calmly making my way through the errands that required me to go into the world, I was pleasantly surprised by some unexpected encounters. Two of which I had in the same supermarket! I bumped in to two people that I vaguely know from other settings. Instead of my usual ‘too busy’ to stop approach, I engaged with each of them.

In doing so, I was richly rewarded with real conversations right there in the middle of the supermarket. There was honesty, vulnerability, two way sharing and a shit ton of laughter! None of that dry, dead, superficial nonsense that seems to be so prevalent. Instead, it was the cut-to-the-chase real. I love that stuff!

When two humans are willing to drop pretence and bullshit, you get a heart-to-heart connection. This gives an enlivening experience that uplifts both parties. And it reminds us to keep our eyes and our hearts open as we go about the drudgery of the day, less we miss the very moments that wait to spark us in to aliveness.

We cannot eradicate the need for human connections by forcing everyone to use online systems. You simply exclude a whole group of people as well as reducing the contact and connections that keep us all alive and human.

The human need for connection may depend on our makeup and circumstances, but we all need this.

How grateful I am to have slowed down enough to see and speak to those I unexpectedly met amid my day.

Unfortunately, I still had to practice keeping my cool when the scanning machine rather predictably required human assistance for every single item. However, even this meant contact with a helpful human rather than just the stress of the malfunctioning technological machine.

Winning, just about!