We are lucky enough to live at a time when the possibilities for one human are growing by bounds and leaps. Instant communication is an example. Thirty years ago when I found it nearly impossible to call St. Petersburg, Russia to set up my exhibition there, as only 22 phone lines existed and a call was very expensive. Now world-wide communications are free, instant and ubiquitous. So we should be in good contact with all our dear friends wherever they are!.. Right?
No really. Do you notice this as well; that with instant free communication your interactions have grown shorter and more frantic? Or is it just me? I receive texts and emails every day that are only a couple of lines (often about how busy that person is), or sometimes just a word or two. ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) Have we really become so important that we can't keep in good contact with each other any more?
I get the sense that an expansion of the possibilities for interacting with people anywhere is matched by an enlargement of the space between us, vision of the expanding universe; every galaxy moving away from every other. Time was that I often met with friends for dinner or a long conversation in a cafe. Now it seems everyone is too busy for that. I once delighted in exchanging long, handwritten and illustrated letters with friends. I've got many of those precious letters saved. But would I save an email about how busy my friend is? Where would I put it?
It could be just me and my tendency to sink into a quiet life enriched with good books and fine art in my little hut. But I wonder if this isn't a feature of the age. I wonder what relationships will look like in another generation. Will we somehow have learned to be in better contact, or will we just drift further apart as we become inundated with digital entertainments? You tell me. Take your time. I'm listening...
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