This past weekend the family took a trip to OKC to visit Mr. D's side of the family and it got me thinking about something I learned in college.... The Death of Distance.
The death of distance refers to the gap technology has filled for people who live far away from each other. This technology ranges from the social networking sites (facebook/twitter), to video chatting, to the invention of fast flying airplanes. Before these inventions, one had to travel by ship, horse, and had no communication other than what we consider today as 'snail mail'. If you wanted to move out West, the trip took months in a wagon train. Today you can move across the world in a matter of hours or days. Most generations stayed in one town or one state and usually one country where as today there are people from everywhere found just anywhere on the globe. I can video chat with my mother in KY and then just as easily chat with my BFF in Japan. Through FB I talk to friends from my past who I probably would never keep in contact with if I didn't have FB. In my lifetime I have lived in three different states spanning across the entire United States, and have studied abroad in Europe. I was young, independent, motivated, and free spirited; but was I also missing something?
 |
| Me at Stonehenge |
With these advances in technology people are able to live far away from family and friends and still keep in contact on a daily basis.... but..... is that enough? Are we losing the human connection by replacing the real person with technology?
Having lived away from my family now for about 10 years I can say that while I missed my family I always felt okay about moving and living my life how I wanted, with out loyalty to the place where I grew up. But now that I have kids things have changed. The perception of 'place' has changed for me. I'm no longer interested in the biggest cities and cool things to do, but more about who I'm surrounded by. In a sense you could say I would like a 'village' for my children, a group of people to surround my family.
 |
| Our latest move from TX to WA |
This weekend being back in a city that might not have the most glamour, but has friends and family who love and support my family, it got me thinking about if the 'death of distance' is enough emotionally for people. We have met people here in WA who live away from family and they go back and visit every few years.... and I just can't imagine doing that. I go back to KY about 3-4 times a year and Mr. D goes back to OKC about 3-5 times a year. Are we the only ones out there who can't rely on new technologies as a replacement for the real thing? Yes I can see my mom on skype.... but is that the same as living 10 mins from her? Yes we can fly to OKC to visit friends and families, but is that the same as living there? I'm not knocking technology by any means.... I couldn't have made it through Mr. D's deployments with out skype. So thank goodness for technology!!
 |
| Skype Date with Mr. D in Afghanistan |
I want to know if people living away from their villages some how has a lasting emotional effect on them and their families. Would we all be happier if we lived within 20 miles of our families? Or is chasing the American dream and where ever that leads us.... does that make us the happiest, the most full filled emotionally?
Are we as connected as ever through social networking and video chats? Or do we feel as lonely as ever and these outlets are just a bandaid over our emotional wounds?
Just wondering how everyone else felt about this....
I think they are 2 different animals. What I mean by that is, each come with it's own blessing's and down falls. Joey and I were sorta talking about this last night. He was telling me that even though he likes hanging out with his cousin and friends he doesn't quite feel the same companionship he see's them have with each other. I tried to explain to him that even though he has known his cousin all his life and they are only a few months apart he hasn't spent the same amount of time that the other boys have spent together since babyhood, because we only just moved here a year and a half ago. On the other hand these 4 or 5 boys have never had the same opportunity's of making the vast # of friends in the various places Joey has been because they have lived in the same house and town their whole life. We moved here to be closer to Mark's sister and live 20 miles from her but we really don't see her much more than we see his brother who lives 3 hours away! Life gets busy! Unless you go to the same church, school, or work sometimes it's really hard to make the time to visit. I know of families that live in the same town that refuse to visit because they never seem to grow up pass the sibling rivalry and now have taken their relationship to the "enemy" level. Believe me that's miserable for the out of town relatives to come visit because now they have to be careful and split their time equally so as to not offend anyone. Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt! Some families should never live less then a days drive from each other! lol! Other families have weekly dinners together and support and love each other and go to the same church or work together their whole life and you can't help but desire that kind of closeness and commitment to one another! Families that give and take equally seem to have the answer, because the ones where one family is the giver and the other is the taker are headed for a break up! I know it's tempting when one lives near parents to take advantage of them because our parents would do anything for us. The thing about this is when your other siblings see this it makes them upset, as well as eventually it will start hard feelings on the parents part too!
ReplyDeleteWow! I don't usually comment but I guess I had a lot to say! lol! Any how that's my opinion so take it or leave it! lol!