I have often wondered over the last couple of years, if there is in fact a lost connection among people in today’s society, as seems to be the claim we hear often. I can only go based on my own day to day experiences with the public.
From what I see, people generally do crave a bit of connection among even strangers. It doesn’t matter if a door is being held open for you, a mutual experience gets you giggling with a stranger in the moment, or a simple smile is exchanged between you and another person. Overall, I don’t actually feel there is a large Disconnect happening. At least, it doesn’t appear so on the surface.
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The Mainstream News Media…
If you pay attention to the Mainstream News Media at all, we’re being told constantly that there is turmoil within society. We are on the verge of civil collapse. Now we all know…you will hear or read certain stories more often, depending on the news channel you are getting the information from. In the end, though, they all seem to be saying the same things over and over again.
No one likes anyone, anymore. No one is kind anymore. We are just too damaged as a society.
My question then would be…How much of it is actually a major problem and how much of it is just propaganda? Media companies do know how to sell drama after all…and drama does in fact, sell.
Lock Down…
Sure, not being able to see our family and friends during the Covid lockdowns, definitely took it’s toll on human connection. It is known. It is also known that protests have indeed gotten out of hand from time to time. Crime is up in certain areas and there seems to be a political division throughout the country.
However, has it really gotten to the extreme point among people, that we keep hearing about?
Rob…
Let me start by just giving you one example…(there are plenty of others I can think of).
I recently had to get in touch with tech support at Comcast and I had the pleasure of dealing with Rob that day. Not only did Rob take care of the issue at hand, but while he was working on it, he kept the chatting going, by telling me a small personal victory he had recently.
Apparently, Rob had an outing with friends recently that involved an evening at the casino. That evening, he just so happened to win, playing the slots. I believe he said he had won $10,000 on that one lucky pull of the lever on the machine. He was happy, because he finally had enough to add to his savings, to put a down payment on his first house.
This gentleman, I believe is somewhere between 40 and 50 years old. Understandably so, he was quite proud of the luck he had come across. He was certainly excited that he and his family would finally be homeowners…he said he was going to closing on his new home within a matter of days.
Yay!
The Stranger…
That’s not what caught me with the conversation. It was how he talked about the other gentleman who had been playing on the machine next to him. Apparently, when the bells and whistles went off during Rob’s big win, the guy next to him started acting like a happy fool.
Rob took great pride in telling that bit of the story. Initially, he was confused about the fact that he had gotten the win, but the other guy was jumping up and down for joy as if the win had been his own. At the end of the day, Rob’s main point of the story was that kindness and overall caring does still exist out there…sometimes, when you don’t expect it.
It matters!
I agreed. I must admit…my own wishes of congrats and future good luck were conveyed enthusiastically! The spirit of the whole conversation was catchy, to say the least. Our conversation left a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
???
It got me to thinking, though. I started running down the list of my own personal experiences out in the world recently that have left a big smile on my face. In all honesty, there have been multiple occasions I have gone to the grocery store and ended up engaging in a friendly moment with a complete stranger.
There have been times when I’m walking out of the store back to my car and something random and fun will happen. Someone will be heading into the store at the same time and see something I’ve just purchased, and make a quick comment (usually light hearted and humorous!)
The cashiers I deal with are generally friendly and will converse if you give them a half a second. If you see them often enough, the next thing you know…you’re exchanging family histories!
LOL!
And just like that, community happens!
This tends to be the sentiment with any interaction I have in public. Sure, you get the a**hole from time to time that decides cutting you off in line, is a good idea. Overall, though, I don’t see where all of the hype is actually true.
Granted, I live in a fairly small town (growing!). While small, it is a very diverse town. A good bit of the folks around here are from families that have been in the area for generations. We all recognize one another’s last name, or at least physical attributes that are reminiscent of someone we have seen before.
Is that the only reason my community connects more? I don’t think so…
We also have a lot of new folks that have moved into the area over the last few years. There are a few bad apples in the bunch, but overall, there is still that community spirit alive.
Neighbors…
Another example was something that happened a few months back.
An older neighbor on our street came over to the house, looking for my husband. My husband was not here at the time, so I asked if I could help him in any way. He explained that he needed help getting his wife into his van, for a doctor’s appointment. One of their family members is usually available, but not that day. He just needed a second set of hands.
I didn’t give a thought as to whether or not I was physically strong enough to help in the situation. I just followed him home to get the mission accomplished.
Again, the community spirit “In my neck of the woods”, is catchy.
Out and about…
This doesn’t just happen in my little town, though.
Another example…We took a ferry ride this past summer. It was a beautiful experience!
This ferry has been accessible to me for many years, but this was my very first trip.
When you’re stuck on a boat for a couple of hours with hundreds of passengers, you never know what you may come across. The folks that take this particular ferry, could possibly be from anywhere, really! Most of them do come from only a handful of different states. But ya never know!
That being said, we found that most people on that trip were not only friendly, but everyone generally was “looking out” for the perfect strangers surrounding them.
One young girl we were sitting nearby on the deck, randomly asked us to keep an eye on her belongings while she hit the ladies room. She was obviously by herself, had a couple of backpacks with her, and didn’t want to drag everything across the boat with her.
I’m not sure why she trusted us (random strangers) to protect her belongings, but she did. When it comes to trust and human connection, that incident spoke volumes.
That wasn’t the only one. There was a grandma with grandbaby that we spent a bit of time with…Another woman with her puppy that began chatting with us (we had our puppy too).
It was nice, relaxing and everyone seemed at ease around one another.
Questions Remain…
I guess at the end of the day…my questions remain the same.
Is there really a Serious Disconnect happening within our society in general?
Is it mainly just propaganda?
Are we really that far off, that the gap in the bridge can’t be repaired?
Maybe I’m lucky enough to be someone that doesn’t see much of that. Even with the internet…I find I’ve been fortunate enough to come across some really fabulous folks!
If you are able to see past the “Internet Trolls”, It would seem to me that the desire for community is still alive and well!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
As always, Perspective matters.
