Virtual is to community as paper is to samon

Oh the good old days... when I used to talk to my friends face to face and then go play in puddles together. Yes, the days when families got together and actually were all physically present in the same room. The days when you could have an hour long conversation with someone without being interrupted by the latest Britney jingle. Those days are quickly fading. We are now is the era of virtual communication.

I make a conscious effort to have at least two people over to my place once a week for a meal. When I ask people to come over it is interesting to see their reactions. People are often surprised or caught off guard and then eventually agree with somewhat amusing replies: "I, uh, well, ghee, ugh, umm...okay, sure, why not." It seems that our culture is slowly loosing the art of tangible community. Instead of going and visiting my sister I send her a quick email to let her know that I care and to see how she's doing. You may argue that you are just too busy and that there is not enough time to meet face to face with people. Well, if you didn't have to keep in contact with all your friends at all times, or you gave up creeping on Facebook for an evening or two you might be surprised how your schedule opens up.

Our attempt to be in touch with all people at all times is encouraging the breakdown of real, solid, unpixilated relationships. If you are having a deep conversation with a friend, co-worker, or whoever and your cell rings, suddenly the person that is right in front of you becomes, somehow, of lesser importance. I would argue that email, Facebooking, and texting have become mini gods that people build their relationships, their time and their lives around. "All this technology is great because I can keep in touch with so many more people! I have 250 friends on Facebook. How about you?" It goes to show that capitalism has deeply penetrated our culture: quantity is far better than quality.