Humans require communication for their own efficacy and sense of self. Communication, as such, does not need to be between individuals, even as the most rewarding dialogue occurs generally between two or more. For millennia and even today, one-on-one conversations are probably the most common interchange in spite of reams and googles of media of all types available at the touch of an app.
Today, my thoughts center on the anonymity of millions of individuals, without a voice beyond their community or village, or even the encapsulation of their home. It is interesting to me how muted individuals, maybe mainly in western societies, but not necessarily so, are prone to extreme violence when they have become isolated from others over an extended period of time.
I recall being ostracized as a young boy, further compounded by an introverted nature, due to circumstances not readily apparent to me at the time. We had encountered significant change from the time I turned four (4), being uprooted from our ancestral home of Rio Segundo, Alajuela in Costa Rica, to the cold and ice of Amsterdam, NY where my Dad had settled in the early 1960's. Then again shuttled back to Costa Rica a few years later due to a postpartum depression suffered by my Mom. Three years would go by, attending school in Costa Rica, living under the care of my grandparents, until we reunited permanently in Lincolnton, NC at the end of 1970.
Maybe the sense of an independent self had emerged due to forced changes in my environment, family, language, culture and peers. The only person I really knew was I; least on a continuum. I have often thought that children of military parents or those of business managers that have far-flung responsibilities may encounter similar circumstances. The ones I have met over the years are very flexible individuals with a wide lens on society in general.
The issue I am trying to describe is effected by isolation, not incessant change.
Incessant change can cause someone to be less responsive to their environment, sort of like the snail going back into their shell when moved around a lot. Yet, the isolation I wish to expose, is that which crushes the human spirit due to little or no feedback in whatever environment the individual resides.
We may be the most connected people today, living in the most populous cities, aware of events a world away; and we are also possibly becoming the most isolated individuals since the beginning of human communities in the distant past.
By the way....it is not because of smart phones, computers, and every type of anonymous tools that we are having less "live" contact with others. I believe it is because of a divergence in beliefs within our own families, communities, sects and nation states. Most individuals require the emotional and cultural support of their peers to feel a part of the group or society. Then there are those that will not be "boxed-in" by societal, religious or political mores. It is my impression that this second group is growing, yet keenly feels the sting of aloneness. In time, "individualism" will become more prevalent as these folks gain "voice" in spite of pressures from their groups, which they will begin to exit. This is now being see in the significant reduction of organized faith affiliation, even as spirituality is not on the decrease. People will less need the affirmation of a group in order to feel a part of a broader society.
Finally, aloneness is not good for the human. He is a social animal. I believe he will connect more and more to those of his genre. This will then cause systemic shifts in thought processes causing conformity with the established order to collapse; ushering in a world that we may yet not be able to imagine.
Not a bad world, but a different one.
In the final analysis, your attitude determines your effectiveness in everything, every time! LGL www.LuisLobo.Biz
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