March 25 - With

“Human contact is becoming a luxury good.” I read this in a Sunday New York Times article about how the proliferation of screens in our society has cheapened the life experiences of lower- and middle-class people. Technology has become so economical, it is now being pushed hard on most of us wherever we go – from supermarkets to airports, from schools to hospitals. And, of course, in our homes. Recently, someone shared with me that they think Amazon’s Alexa is great for elderly people who live alone, because it gives them someone to talk to.

Those who can afford it pay for the privilege of being attended by human beings rather than by a digitized voice or a touchscreen. And Silicon Valley executives, who have promoted laptop-for-every-student policies, are sending their children to private tech-free schools where hands-on interaction is encouraged – like in the old days. Why? Because it’s better for them.

We are discovering how soulless a technological lifestyle can become. We have trapped ourselves in it and we are beginning to realize it’s a problem.

Human beings were made to be with other human beings. This is a truth that we have taken for granted, such that we don’t even realize it until we lose it. We need to hear other voices – but it’s not just voices we need. We need to know someone cares for us – but it’s not just care that we need. We need to feel another person’s touch.

We are born with the need – and heart-wrenching studies have shown that children can die from a lack of emotional and sensory engagement. Essentially, dying from a lack of love.

We have made wonderful advances in technology – artificial intelligence, in particular. We have animation that looks almost real. We have digitized voices that sound almost human and can respond to almost anything you say. We need human beings for less than we used to. But I hope we don’t ever develop a digital hand that simulates a real flesh and blood human hand, because we need human touch. 

We are made to be with each other.