Friday, June 03, 2011

How'd This Happen?

I'm a little scared at the moment. That's not right, I'm not scared, scared, but more like, I don't know, freaked out...? Maybe. Not even that.

Here's what it is. I did the following today. I went to the bank and got money. I rented a DVD. And I got stamps. Here's how I did it. I went to the ATM and got the money, used my check card to get the money. I used Redboxfor the first time ever, gave them my email address, and swiped my check card. I went to the lobby of the post office, after hours, bought a "book" stamps, used my check card.

Here's the thing: absolutely no human contact, at all. None. That's just kind of scary. I guess it just hit me how today how really connected and disconnected we really are. How easy it is to spend money and not even realize I'm doing it. It doesn't seem to hurt as much when I swipe a plastic card instead of handing over a dead president. Geeze, I'm writing this blog, marveling at the world around me and not talking to any one. Just typing away. Maybe someone will read it, but what does that mean? No human contact.

I vaguely remember a time before ATMs. You needed cash for the weekend? You better get to the bank before end of business on Friday or out a luck, Chuck. Need stamps? Get thee to the Post Office and wait in line. You need a weekend's entertainment? Wanna rent a DVD (VHS, remember those?) Blockbuster down the street.... remember those?

I honestly do worry about the world and the generations coming. Will there be socialization at all?

I see cellphone-zombies walking, looking at their little screens. I'm guilty of it myself. i keep saying "I need to unplug" but I'm not really sure you can even really do that anymore. We've turned a corner, we really have. I don't know when or where, but we turned a corner. A corner that we can't unturn.