Plugged In and Tuned Out

Ipods, cellphones, game players, laptops, and everything in between with a battery, a signal, or a power button. Everyone is plugged into their own little world. Don't want to hear the chatter on the bus? Plug in your head phones. Want to pass time instead of develop patience? Check your phone. Looking to tune out the present? Look no further than the latest technological advances.

As soon as I start my day, I see nothing but Ipods, cellphones, or game players. It is a rare situation to see two strangers having a conversation and more common to observe people on their cellphones interacting with friends or family, people they are already familiar with. I think it is more common to meet people through websites or chat rooms than to just approach a person and start a conversation. Have we lost all ability to just communicate with one another in the old way of just sparking up a conversation? Good old fashioned conversation now appears to be a lost art. What would happen i wonder if one day everyone woke up to find, there were no computers, phones, or any technological device that could distract them? Would people talk to the others around them without looking for a distraction, or would there still be a burdensome silence?

When I imagine this scenario, my bus stop in the morning comes to mind. I wonder if the commuters with familiar faces would be brave enough to say hello or if we'd still continue to ignore one another. I suppose we do not ignore each other, we just avoid conversation. But I wonder about them, where they work, what they like to do, so do they wonder the same things about me? Even if they don't, a friendly hello or good morning may brighten both our days. I guess we have become more accustomed to tuning into our own little world, than introducing ourselves into another.

I introduced myself to strangers when I was little. What happened? I used to stand by the entrance of the grocery store, and greet everyone that came in. Just stand there and say hi to every person that came in. I smile at the thought of this. It seems so silly to wish I was more like that now, but I do. Although I rarely carry my ipod, and often prefer to people watch than be on my cellphone, I wish I said hi to strangers. Met people in life through a random introduction. It would feel more natural to act in that way if everyone else felt the same. I think people do enjoy the seclusion they create by shutting others out with cellphones or music players. I do not think I am the only that wishes it was the norm to interact with others, but I know there are many out there who certainly hope they never wake up to find the world missing of all technology.