Rhythm of our Global Village

INSTANT COMMUNICATION!  Today, our world is supercharged by satellites which drive instant communication, and we are barraged with data, ideas, un-edited “gut responses” to images or happenings. Truth and reality are intertwined with “branding”, not the kind we used on cattle, to mark them as ours, but a self-branding that forces us to create a dual life. One electronically motivated and influenced by dings and bings from devices in our hands, laps, on our wrists.  The other is the native life we live in our environment, in real time, face to face with friends, family, co-workers, pets, wildlife, and the ever changing weather.

Now, the web is our ocean and we navigate it simultaneously while navigating our non-digital lives. 

Everyone is communicating these days, and discussing all sorts of detailed topics. It’s a wonder, and it’s evolving as we speak. People are speaking through screens, talking through digital text messages, sending photographs and videos that instantly appear and then disappear. Our new reality is here and we are the first generation of humans to understand it.

Everything has come before in some sort or another. We send digital messages with images and symbols, not unlike the Hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptians. Our communication is new and old, and ever evolving, at a rapid pace.

Sometimes it is confusing, sometimes it is elevating, and sometimes is brings sad or joyful news. Even in areas without “reception”, electronic communication is all around. It’s almost as instant as the sound of a drum playing a pattern to get the villagers’ attention. 

It’s almost as instant as someone giving you a hug or calling out your name.  What are your preferred modes of communicating these days?  How do you find the balance between “screen time” and off screen time in our modern culture?