Two Worlds at Once

It's the end of August.  This time last year I was in Malaysia visiting a good old friend just before Malaysia's independence day.  This year, I am in Bangkok, and am instead keeping touch with good friends through other high tech means such as Skype, Google+ and Whatsapp.  It really is quite amazing all this technology.  It brings people together.   Yet, it can also bring people apart.

You might have noticed that since the advent of BB messaging and chat programs on iPhones, smartphones, androids, many of us (me included) sometime zone out of conversations and instead grin at our phones.  We are living in two worlds at once.

One moment, I'm in conversation with the person next to me, the next, I'm in a conversation with someone else on the other side of the phone.  Maybe that person is in another country.  I don't mind it at all, but sometimes I think we ought to put down our phones and enjoy the person next to us.  Enjoy the conversation a little more.  Enjoy what is happening around us.

I'm still working at it.  I have a tendency to just pick up my phone and constantly check it for messages.  It's addictive.  You hear a little "beep" and you feel a sudden urge to check it.  It's annoying. I want to get rid of this addiction.  I see the iPhone lying still in front of me, and I just want to pick it up and play on one of its many applications. I like the feel of the rubbery skin I bought for it.

I suppose, sometimes we really should just turn off the phone, put it away in our bags and really enjoy the people around us, especially during lunches or dinners.  Perhaps we'd get to connect a little more, really enjoy the company and learn a little about the person next to us.  Connect more without the phone when we are surrounded by people.  Connect with people through the phone when you are alone.  Maybe that's how we should balance out all these online chats....

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