We seem to be losing a spiritual human to human contact and responsibility (quote, God)
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In the modern age of cell phones and pandemics I think we have lost the human to human spiritual connection.
Too often we don't look at eyes, are too buys to actually listen to others from their point of view. You see families eating out with everyone on their cell phone.
I find that if I am asking for something like a favor from an authority figure or store employee to a friend...if I make eye contact, smile, speak softly, listen to the other and address what they said so they know you listened, as well as touch their arm...for a human to human contact that the person I am asking a favor from always does it for me. Because they can see I am sincere and they can connect into my humanity as I smile and speak softly and listen intently.
I think the putting my hand on the other person's arm is very helpful in as it is not an awkward hug, but a humanizing contact that gives a spiritual connection to our shared humanity. I think that connection helps them listen and see your humanity and situation.
I was asking for some donations to a food pantry to try and help out and a person told me that it was the government's job to help not ours. He actually did donate, but I worry about a society that says I don't have to help that is someone else's job....if that makes sense...I do want the government to help too though...just I think we all should help.
I just worry about kids growing up today thinking it is normal to be distant, push off responsibility, and use technology too much. We also form around groups and are very exclusionary to other ideas or thoughts.
My husband was listening to a financial podcast when doing home improvements and the guy said he wasn't commenting on religion being good or bad, but felt that things like politics and bitcoin and Tesla were replacing religion more and more so people act religious about politics and their investments and only seek out echo chambers and become very loyal to those in the same "tribe" and oppose anyone in the opposite "tribe." Thus we are becoming more intolerant in those areas he thought. He claimed bitcoin believers act religious in their claims for bitcoin for example.
I don't know anything about bitcoin, sorry. It never comes up in my daily conversations and rarely comes up as a thought at all.
I agree with some other stuff in your OP though - not all of it but some of it.
I do believe we are becoming more polarized as people in general - I agree with the "tribe" mentality you described, and I don't like it. I had lunch yesterday with a group of people and one of the guys there was definitely politically moderate - and I watched as people from both "sides" politically began absolutely tearing him apart. I am not particularly interested in politics so I found the whole conversation - both "sides" anyway - to be strident and distasteful, and he never would have been raked over the coals like that just a few years ago. Thanks, mainstream media - AND Fox News - AND alternative news sources. Sheeze. I felt sorry for the guy - he should never have mentioned anyone trying to even be bipartisan.
A few years ago, I was a bank manager. I had to nearly pitch a wall eyed fit to get my employees to PUT THEIR DANG CELL PHONES AWAY. I mean, I wasn't trying to take them up or ban them from the work place - I was just trying to keep people from being on social media or Amazon when a customer was STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. It was ridiculous.
Interestingly enough, I teach a class to underprivileged women (in fact, teaching it today) and while all these women have cell phones, and I believe most of them are "smart phones," I just don't have a problem with them in class. Most of the women are over 30 though. Some of them are over 50!
In the modern age of cell phones and pandemics I think we have lost the human to human spiritual connection.
Too often we don't look at eyes, are too buys to actually listen to others from their point of view. You see families eating out with everyone on their cell phone.
I find that if I am asking for something like a favor from an authority figure or store employee to a friend...if I make eye contact, smile, speak softly, listen to the other and address what they said so they know you listened, as well as touch their arm...for a human to human contact that the person I am asking a favor from always does it for me. Because they can see I am sincere and they can connect into my humanity as I smile and speak softly and listen intently.
I think the putting my hand on the other person's arm is very helpful in as it is not an awkward hug, but a humanizing contact that gives a spiritual connection to our shared humanity. I think that connection helps them listen and see your humanity and situation.
I was asking for some donations to a food pantry to try and help out and a person told me that it was the government's job to help not ours. He actually did donate, but I worry about a society that says I don't have to help that is someone else's job....if that makes sense...I do want the government to help too though...just I think we all should help.
I just worry about kids growing up today thinking it is normal to be distant, push off responsibility, and use technology too much. We also form around groups and are very exclusionary to other ideas or thoughts.
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Interesting post, with many good points.
With cell phones, I don't think it's the talk function that is a problem. It's the texting that is so very impersonal. A friend of mine who's a doctor is VERY into texting. I'd so much prefer a short telephone call.
In stores, particularly grocery stores, the employees are taught to say certain things like parrots. For example, the Kroger chain in my area was, at least for quite a while, having their check-out clerks say, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" Sometimes I would say no. Nothing happened; they just kept checking me out. It wasn't a real communication.
Human contact...well, when I became a teacher, and even more so when I became a principal, i had to accept "accepting" hugs; it had never been my thing. But now we are in a different age. Giving people their 'space' or being accused of sexual touching.
I would agree with a lot of this, though I wouldn't use the word spiritual. We are in some ways losing a bit of the human to human connection.
However I also do think this line is often overblown, and other forms of connection have been introduced, that do bring value to the table. As an example, if you have some niche interest or hobby, today it is easier to connect with others that share that interest from all over the world. Pre-internet, you would be stuck with those local to you, among whom nobody may share your niche interests.
It's been going on for a long time. Maybe forever.
When they invented air conditioning porches were no longer necessary for houses. Family activity moved from the porch and the front yard to inside the house and the back yard.
Stuff like that has been going on for a long time. I'm sure back when people road their horse or wagon down the the street they might stop off to visit with somebody they saw on the porch. Probably less likely when people started driving automobiles.
It's funny though, just yesterday I went to the Doctor's office and realized that they no longer have magazines in there. Everybody is looking at their phones. 'Cept me. I'm looking at them looking at their phones.
A few years ago, I was a bank manager. I had to nearly pitch a wall eyed fit to get my employees to PUT THEIR DANG CELL PHONES AWAY. I mean, I wasn't trying to take them up or ban them from the work place - I was just trying to keep people from being on social media or Amazon when a customer was STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. It was ridiculous.
Service quality is going down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
Interesting post, with many good points.
With cell phones, I don't think it's the talk function that is a problem. It's the texting that is so very impersonal. A friend of mine who's a doctor is VERY into texting. I'd so much prefer a short telephone call.
In stores, particularly grocery stores, the employees are taught to say certain things like parrots. For example, the Kroger chain in my area was, at least for quite a while, having their check-out clerks say, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" Sometimes I would say no. Nothing happened; they just kept checking me out. It wasn't a real communication.
Human contact...well, when I became a teacher, and even more so when I became a principal, i had to accept "accepting" hugs; it had never been my thing. But now we are in a different age. Giving people their 'space' or being accused of sexual touching.
I agree that texting is less particular.
I agree on the don't hug and certainly don't do anything that can be mistaken as harassment.
I have great success at persuading people face to face and I think because I try to make a connection in a less and less personal world.
I'll make eye contact, I listen carefully and show that I do by repeating or addressing what is said, smile, speak softly with clarity and honesty, and a little touch on the arm if possible in the middle of the conversation for the human to human style at a moment when you want to highlight a lighter part of the dicussion.
It turns out our shed was slightly into our neighbors side yard. He wanted it moved, but it was hard to be moved. My husband who is more introverted (nothing wrong with that) if he doesn't know people well went and tried to talk him out of making us move it and didn't succeed. I went over listened to his concerns and explained the difficulties in moving and did all of things I boldfaced above and he said we didn't have to move it anymore.
A bakery no longer makes my husband's favorite donuts. He asked if they could make them again or a special order. They politely said no. I went and talked to the owner and did the above boldfaced, talked about what it would mean to me and he agreed to make them for me.
I think it is very important to share humanity so to say when interacting with people if possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter600
I would agree with a lot of this, though I wouldn't use the word spiritual. We are in some ways losing a bit of the human to human connection.
I think the human to human connection is spiritual. We all have similar wants, desires, needs, and are relatable. Relationships can be deep, shallow, or in between.
We also, I believe, all have a divine spark, a bit of God in us....this connects us to each other.
I think the human to human connection is spiritual. We all have similar wants, desires, needs, and are relatable. Relationships can be deep, shallow, or in between.
We also, I believe, all have a divine spark, a bit of God in us....this connects us to each other.
That is where we disagree, but that disagreement doesn't stop me from agreeing with a lot of the rest of your post.
That is where we disagree, but that disagreement doesn't stop me from agreeing with a lot of the rest of your post.
Peter, have you ever tried to adopt a perspective from outside of our entire Reality? It is what Einstein called a thought experiment. Pretend you are in a dimension completely separate from ours. Looking in you see all the myriad manifestations of energy/mass/momentum. They all have the same vibrational field source but some of these manifestations are not visible to you.
But what is even stranger, these energy/mass/momentum manifestations seem to be able to see and comprehend your existence. Those manifestations would be our consciousness (not our bodies which are visible) or what QuakerBaker calls our spirit. Does that make any sense to you at all?
Peter, have you ever tried to adopt a perspective from outside of our entire Reality? It is what Einstein called a thought experiment. Pretend you are in a dimension completely separate from ours. Looking in you see all the myriad manifestations of energy/mass/momentum. They all have the same vibrational field source but some of these manifestations are not visible to you.
But what is even stranger, these energy/mass/momentum manifestations seem to be able to see and comprehend your existence. Those manifestations would be our consciousness (not our bodies which are visible) or what QuakerBaker calls our spirit. Does that make any sense to you at all?
Thought experiments can be useful, and the one you describe is fine.
However every manifestation that I have observed being able to see and comprehend my existence is linked to a body and brain. I have yet to see any evidence of a consciousness not linked to a body and brain. So in order to distinguish whether the consciousness is merely emergent from the body and brain, or something greater, requires more evidence and a method to validate and verify that evidence.
Now I, as the author of this thought experiment, can decree it be either way in the thought experiment. However I suggest the best option, in the absence of positive evidence, is to say that it is unknown. And hence not use the term as if it were true, until we have confidence either way. Indeed, there are plenty of neuroscientists who think consciousness is emergent, and there are those who don't.
However, what I saw as the gist of the OP, can be discussed regardless of the answer to that question.
Thought experiments can be useful, and the one you describe is fine.
However every manifestation that I have observed being able to see and comprehend my existence is linked to a body and brain. I have yet to see any evidence of a consciousness not linked to a body and brain. So in order to distinguish whether the consciousness is merely emergent from the body and brain, or something greater, requires more evidence and a method to validate and verify that evidence.
Now I, as the author of this thought experiment, can decree it be either way in the thought experiment. However I suggest the best option, in the absence of positive evidence, is to say that it is unknown. And hence not use the term as if it were true, until we have confidence either way. Indeed, there are plenty of neuroscientists who think consciousness is emergent, and there are those who don't.
However, what I saw as the gist of the OP, can be discussed regardless of the answer to that question.
But to EXIST it has to be in some form of energy/mass/momentum because that is all that exists. Its visibility or measurability is not the point. Its existence in the energy form of an "observer" is NOT dependent upon the visible physical manifestations from which it emerges. That is what makes it a divine Spirit.
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