You. Are. Not. A. Robot

Dear Real-life Friends
(...and I'm not just talking to my Real-life friends!)
This goes out to your friends, my friends and my friend's friends:

You. Are. Not. A. ROBOT!

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this but be patient and read slowwwwly!

We need to take time out to be Human again. We're behaving without thinking! We've been programmed to be anti-social and like it. Kinda like Robots, right? Maaaaaan...these Social Media and Smart Phone companies have found a way to dehumanize us and it's starting to affect friendships and relationships. 

Some of you will probably say that it has already happened...Touché! But perhaps we need to bring it to the attention of those who don't notice how bad it is and how impersonal we've become so that we can all get back to being Human again.

Just recently a new acquaintance told me he "never" talks on the phone, then proceeded to continue chatting with me via Blackberry Messenger. I'm so used to that kind of second-class communication nowadays that I didn't realize how sad that actually is!

I don't know how you can get to know someone without talking. And I don't think I'd be able to go too long without hearing the voices of those I truly consider Friends. But we all dehumanize ourselves to a certain extent. We don't talk...we email, Tweet, Text or bump into each other at events.

But even that shit doesn't work out too well! Sometimes we're friendlier on the Internet than in real life or we forget how to converse in real-life because we've found a comfort zone and new level of confidence by communicating with our thumbs. And as for email...I know for a fact some of my peeps don't even read half the things I send because 75% of the time they email me asking the same thing I already sent in the email.

And we don't even thank each other for info. Job leads, interesting articles, sales, invitations. We just click and skip...promising ourselves to get to it later when in reality, whatever it is will get lost amongst all the other correspondences our inboxes. And if you don't put something attention-grabbing in the subject line or put a Celebrity's name in ALL CAPS...it may get deleted all together.

And speaking of invitations...what happened to the personal touch? We find out about parties via Facebook or thru Twitter. No one has time to let each other know about what is going on.

Are we that busy?

The economy is shitty! Rent, mortgages and gas prices are too damn high.  We don't have a lot of quality Television programming to choose from...and if you're Single, you may not be going out on dates because no one talks anymore!

So what are we doing?????? 

Why aren't we more supportive? Why do we say, "let's catch up" but in real life never do? Why don't we take the time to read between and what's in the lines? 

As usual, I have more questions than answers, but I do not have a problem holding myself accountable. I have to do better as well and I don't want to live the rest of my life strictly behind the computer screen. I need Human contact. I love laughter. I love the hearing good news and being there for my friends to comfort them if and when there's bad news. I don't like missing out on things because I forgot to check Facebook and I hate having conversations via text that could easily be had over the phone.

And besides...if I couldn't hear Terrell's or my cousin, Lou's laugher, Dena's and Michelle's dating chronicles, Kevin's Jedi-mind-trick-isms, Rose's smile when I call for her birthday, (yes...you can hear a smile over the phone), Anthony's stories about his kids, gossip with Jamaal and Raedawn, catch up with Tracey and Finesse's Hollywood stories, Patricia's job hunting nightmares, talk about the family with Cousin Claudia, get wedding updates from Rachel, advice from Andre, find out what's poppin' in the fast and fashionably exciting lives of Alisha C. or Al in Chicago, talk sh*t in Patois with Chelan and Loni, go down "Memory Lane" with Love, share laughs with Wendy, or hear my nieces tell me they love and miss me...I'd eventually go crazy!

So let me go be human...or at least make an honest effort! And you...yeah YOU! Go be human! Call him or her! Meet up for drinks AND put the phone away! Go visit a friend and just vibe out in the house doing absolutely nothing! Support a friend's event regardless of who else will or will not be there! Make Birthday calls, not Texts! Get to know someone you may like by actually talking...with your mouth! Read his or her Blog post you said you'd read but never got around to.  (Hint Hint)

Goooooooooo!

Because we. are. not. Robots.

CMJ