I'm a little concerned about headphones. I walked up to a library employee the other day to ask a question and she didn't respond. When I moved more into her range of sight and moved my lips again, she removed the wires from her ears to see what I needed. I have called out cheery greetings to neighbors as I walked by and they never knew it. On the Max train last week we were surrounded by people with wires dangling out of their ears. It's rare to see someone outside getting exercise or doing yard work without them. I'm not even talking about the hands free phones that are attached to a person's head so they can carry on conversations with the unknown while they shop in the store. I'm worried about the people that are in their own little sound bubbles and tune out the rest of the world.
I've never been able to do that. Even as a woman, and with the ability to multi-task, I feel constantly disoriented if I am wearing headphones. Sitting here now, I hear the clickity click of my keyboard, the clock keeping time on the wall, the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the sound of the wind trying valiantly to knock the rest of the leaves out of the trees in the backyard. If I were to tune those things out, it would feel as though I were disconnected with life. Maybe that's the whole point for those who enjoy wearing them. And that's what worries me.
Will people (and mostly children growing up with these tools) forget how to communicate? Will they know how to pay attention to a real person? Does no one else these days enjoy a light conversation with a total stranger in the community? Will the peaceful sounds of nature become something to dread? How do people hear the approach of danger if they are tuned into something else? How will they know if someone around them is in need? How do they think? How will they hear the sound of the Spirit whispering the answers to the questions they ask in prayer?
Maybe they have developed coping skills that I haven't. Maybe. But I'm not convinced about that, and so for now...I'm more than a little concerned about all of us.
2 comments:
I totally agree. I hate wearing headphones and do it rarely. Actually, I am happy to say that I honestly don't remember the last time I wore headphones. "God is in the business of people and so must we be."
Yup, I'm with you. When I share with students about my 50-mile hike, they are unvariably astounded that I didn't have any "music" with me. Didn't need it - I can sing. :)
On the one hand, my students actually write more now than they did 5 years ago, thanks to text messaging, blogging, and (especially) social networking sites on the internet. On the other hand, they seem to actually interact with a wide variety of people in face-to-face conversations much less.
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