My granny was right.

My concerns on our lack of communication and community.

I am a little concerned about our society. That is partially why I write this blog, to express my concerns about how we behave around and towards one another. It is my sincere hope that my words will reach more people, and truly resonate with them. I want to tell you about my day to highlight my worries.

At around 2 p.m. my girlfriend and I took a stroll down a cobbled street near her apartment. It’s one of those roads built for pedestrians, filled with shops and cafés, no cars at all. She and I needed a breath of fresh air after being cooped up in a flat all day, working and studying. So we walked and chatted. She spotted a crêpe stand which was, predictably, quite busy. But the crêperie only accepted cash, so we found an ATM, waited in line, and eventually drew some money. After practically inhaling our Nutella crêpe we ambled around for a little longer before heading into a Burger King. I had never tried the vegetarian nuggets, so we decided that today was the day, and got an order of nuggets and sauce. We stood outside, hunched over the brown paper bag, satisfied by our fast food.

While the time I spent with my girlfriend was far from boring for me to experience, it is not especially thrilling for you to hear. Why am I telling you such a bland story? I want you to listen to it again from a different perspective.

We walked down a road built only for people. We passed by and later spent time at a fairly busy crêperie. We stood in a line with a handful of other people at the bank. We then continued down the pedestrian-only street before walking into a fast food restaurant at lunch time. It was full, of course. We didn’t speak to a soul. We weren’t outliers: nobody was connecting with anyone else. When we were in Burger King we ordered using a touch screen; I didn’t even have to ask someone for the food I wanted. I was struck by the row of customers standing practically shoulder to shoulder without acknowledging each other, absolutely silent. I was hit by a jolt of something. Loss?

Here we were, in busy places, amongst dozens and dozens of people. I guarantee you that I had the opportunity to connect with at least one of them. Not in a huge way, a joke, a compliment. But I didn’t. No one did. We all just walked past one another, trying to avoid any eye contact.

I always cringe when my grandmother starts a conversation with a perfect stranger while we are trapped in a queue with them. I suspect that, as always, my granny has had the right idea all along. I am scared for the future of our society. My gran occasionally asks me to help her with her phone. I have the all the answers for her, of course. I know way more about phones than she does. What happens when we are so used to touch screens that we have no idea how people work?