Isn’t the idea of technology meant to make our lives easier and less complicated?  Is it just me or does it seem like the more techno-advanced we become, the more stressful life gets?  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m plugged in, too.  If I leave home without my cell phone, I admit to feeling a bit panicky (though, thus far I have resisted the lure of the Blackberry).  And a day without logging on to the computer is like…well, you know the cliché.  But sometimes, when I stop and look around, it seems that all these opportunities to be connected are actually leaving us more dis-connected. 

I can still remember when going away on vacation meant escaping from everyday life. You’d say good-bye to friends and family and tell them you’ll check in when you get back, and look forward to a break from the usual routine. Sure, you left a number where you could be reached in case of emergency, but no one would dare call you unless the fire department was trying to rescue your cat while flames consumed your house.  And work would just have to get along without you for a week.  But now that we carry cell phones everywhere we go, friends call or text anytime just to say “hi” and see what you’re doing.  Your mother calls to ask if you’re having nice weather and to tell you the light bulb in her closet burned out so you’ll need to come by to change it when you get home. And so many of us feel compelled to check in with the office or check our emails while we are away, “just in case.” Vacation used to be a time to break away from all the distractions and all the stressors, a time to relax, unwind, and reconnect with our family.  But it seems these days, though the scenery may change, we just take all that baggage with us. 

Could it be we’re cheating ourselves just a little?  And aren’t we cheating the people we love?  Vacations are meant to be a time to concentrate on each other and share new experiences.  But these days it seems we invite the rest of the world along to share this time, too.

Technology is also affecting the art of being a friend.  Sure, email, cell phones, Facebook and Twitter have made it possible to connect and re-connect with friends, old and new, near and far, in ways we never imagined.  It is wonderful and amazing. But there are times when it seems the personal element and intimacy of friendship have given way to convenience.  When you are celebrating a special occasion or achievement, when you’re not feeling well or need some cheering up, or you just need to be reminded that someone cares, a text just doesn’t cut it. How much love can actually be conveyed through a keypad? There is just something warm and genuine and reassuring and, quite simply, personal about having a real live conversation. 

Relationships need personal attention.  Technology has created endless opportunities for us to keep in touch, but let’s be careful that we don’t find ourselves forgetting the importance of the human touch.   

By Jacki Post Ashkin, LCSW-C, Senior Manager, Marketing and Development, JCS

From thye perspective of one who is TIED to the iPhone, ... it’s with me at all times, next to my bed at night, within reach when I’m in the shower, I can tell you it was refreshing when we vacationed in Colorado recently and visited parts that had NO service.  And STILL I had to fight the urge to take it out of my pocket and check for missed calls/messages, “just in case.”  Nicely written article and very true.