Snap

But I question whether this counts
as a friendship
Or whether this media
can be considered social
And I cry for this generation
of virtual souls


THIS.  Beautifully expressed; I cry right along with you.  Excellent spill 💜

Thank you. It's not all bad; but I have my moments and this was one of them!

We are experiencing a human disconnect unlike anything ever seen. Between virtual lives and masked faces it would seem that our humanity is being heavily desensitized of the human experience and bond we share as human beings.
As Luna says, I cry right along with you.

Yes, but I think a better existence than we had before lies on the other side. There are some good things that are dormant, but not extinct.

I love your optimism, Kumar. Sadly, I don’t share in it. I see a continued slide downhill for human beings.
The earth may begin a process of healing, but only if humans pull their heads out of their asses, which again, I don’t believe is going to happen.

What I believe, and what I must believe, are often two different things. That’s a parent.

(Ooh, clever words, Kumar! 😉 Parenting is the thing that makes me care about this. And I like your sense of hope!)
Like everything, I think there's both good and bad. For us adults who have already developed some real-life emotional intelligence, I think it's a distraction, but not necessarily a hazard. But when I watch my teen scrolling endlessly through lists of people that she "has" to respond to - with a momentary fake smile and then on to the next one - I wonder if she even notices or cares who she's interacting with on that screen. I wonder how that affects social development? Time will tell, I guess.

Thanks k - turned it into a poem (hope it works well on its own)

Screen time is a real hard thing for us parents to contend with. I tend to forgive myself pretty easily if my kids get a little too much of it. They do enough other stuff that engages them that I know they don't depend on it too heavily.

I would say persons you pass the time with are "Acquaintances", but "Friends" in the very least are persons committed to somehow bettering one another's existence, which can involve very joyful or uncomfortable experiences together.

You score bonus points making us ponder.

Thanks, Johnny! I do like to make people think so I'll happily take your bonus points.
And I agree with your definitions.

Dear B,

I love what you’ve provoked in thought with your poem. Who knows how any of this will actually play out. I have grown to appreciate the connections of meeting people from all over sharing their insights and experiences. It’s still definitely outside my scope of comprehension but I’m learning to go with the flow. As for the young ‘uns in all of this, I keep reminding myself my generation was once considered the future ruination of the world...
Great write. H🌷

Yeah, I may just be an old curmudgeon who doesn't "get" what the young'uns are doing!
I wrote this because I'm constantly receiving pictures of a young friend's forehead and ceiling (in other words, whatever the phone happens to be aimed at) and I just think it's a weird and impersonal way to interact! But, keeping a "streak" of responses on Snapchat is a thing that some people seem to care about, even if the content is utterly meaningless...

I'm thankful for the opportunity for meaningful interactions like these, though! Thanks for reading & commenting.

I have often pondered if future generations will even realize what they are missing? Particularly being forced online even more due to covid. However, I will agree with Johnny that virtual reality can and does present opportunity for true and lasting friendships. Ours has been ongoing for years now, and we both know the other would do anything they could for each other. I try to liken it to the old letter writing days, when penpals existed between continents.

Bonus points indeed! Great reflective write.

Yep. Anything. ❤

I'm sure they don't know what they're missing! And that's ok - the good old days weren't all good, after all.

Some platforms & uses are better than others... and adults with pre-existing social skills are equipped to make the most of them, I think. Developing kids? I guess we'll know in a few decades...

Thanks for stopping by!

Everything blows

Full Stop

Astute assessment, Professor Poet! Methinks you're right. 🤓

The syllabic harmony grants a cutting equipoise to the gravitas of the write, love the way you open with physical details and flow into the zeitgeist commentary. Excellent work.

Thanks, Daniel... I do find it easiest to go in that direction, from particulars to sweeping statements on life - I guess that's just how my mind works.
I always enjoy your comments. ❤