Cat Videos vs. Choir
- Beth Watts Nelson
- Jul 1
- 2 min read
I guess the phrase “in person” really took off after the pandemic. Before 2020 there was just no reason to say it. Events were either in person or they didn’t happen. Meetings took place face to face in the same room or by talking over the phone. There are more options now!
When I was a kid everybody watched the same shows on TV. We all heard the same songs on the radio. We all got our news from the same few stations or newspapers. The content was roughly consistent across the board but people’s opinions about the content could vary. At least it gave us something to talk about! There was a cultural thread that wove us all together.
Nowadays, I plug myself into media precisely tailored to hold my attention for as long as possible. I can send little messages to friends and family around the globe and watch cat videos to my heart’s content. I’m connecting to all sorts of different things on the internet yet, somehow, I feel a little more lonely after spending time staring at my phone or computer. Digital connection is just not the same. Everybody’s connecting to different stuff.
We gain a lot from meeting in person. In fact, it’s a basic human need. In order to survive and thrive, humans actually require a sense of belonging to a group. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a decline in those opportunities to belong. Our cultural fabric has become frayed and divided. Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD of Stanford University describes the issue in Speaking of Psychology, Episode 206.* To sum it up, if people lack connection we are in deep trouble as a society.
Don’t get me wrong. I like having choices! The internet is great for a lot of things! But we have lost something vital to a healthy society if we lose our ability to connect with others and the answer is clearly not in our screens. It’s in the things we do in person. For example, getting together with a room full of people from different backgrounds, politics, religions, ages, and abilities to work toward the same goal by thinking, feeling, breathing, and singing in harmony. You belong in choir. Come sing with us!!!
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