There is so much stuff out there that just comes pouring in here, between newspapers, the too many magazines I still get, the web sites for all of them, all of the other news, science, psychology, web sites, chat rooms, list serves, journals, comments on the journals, etc, that it does get a bit overwhelming.
I am from the generation of having to go searching for information. Every bit of it seems like a find. I keep piles of it, knowing I will probably never get back to it. Even if I do I get distracted by new things. I am not that good a weeding out, and staying with a few regular sources. I try to get other view points, but there is so much noise out there. Everyone wants to be heard, and the only way to really get recognized is to be extreme and ridiculous.
Donald Trump for President? What could be more ridiculous?
Anyway, I read somewhere, I can no longer remember where, that it has become acceptable behavior, or at least commonplace, to be talking to someone who is with you, while at the same time holding a "text" conversation with someone else. So many people are texting constantly. Older people are constantly checking email. Facebook. Beeps, chirps and chimes abound. Information flows in. Where are you? What are you doing? What did you think of that? What is he saying? Get this done, Get back to me. On and on in a constantly flow.
I sit in my office, one on one with people. Most of them forget to turn off their phones until they ring, or beep or boop or rap, or erupt with heavy metal. Even then they sometimes take the call, fearing it is about their kids, or their boss, or something very vital. That has happened once out of about 200 times, that a kid was sick at school. Vital? An instant response expected.
There is a lot of discussion now about doing therapy by phone, or Skype, or even just by instant messaging. Is that better for people who can't reveal deep, dark secrets in a face to face setting?
Perhaps.
But my profession, the way I do it, remains very low tech. We assume that real, direct, in-person, interpersonal relationships are more telling, more real, and convey so much more emotion and intensity. It is so basic to being human.
Or, at least it was.
2 comments:
I can relate to the information bit, maybe because I didn't get on the Internet until I was an adult. I can clearly remember how precious information used to be.
No cell phone either but I knew it must be getting bad out there, when all the 10 y.o. girls, who were invited to my son's birthday party, turned up with a cell phone and proceeded to spend much of their time on it. None of the boys had one yet, though it's probably just a matter of time.
Although Maryland recently made driving with a hand-held cell phone illegal, the practice continues, with awful consequences sometimes. WHAT is so important that it can't wait?
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