I think I would have enjoyed travel, say, a hundred years ago. It must have been far more exciting and informative. To see things that you have never seen before and have the time to look ! That is the big attraction for me. In more modern times we travel far and fast, but see little of the journey. That is a real shame. Riding along by horse or in a carriage surely afforded you time to observe things. Now things are pretty much a blur. I think this may be carrying over into our personal relationships as well. Eyes fixed only on the destination, we don't see the road. And sometimes it is not worth the journey !
I was raised on long island. The water was the main thoroughfare for travel back in the old days. It was only the advent of the railroad and then automobiles that changed that. Boats, of all types, were used to go to Connecticut, New Jersey and the upper end of the island. They were faster and more comfortable than horses and buggies. I'm sure they were far more pleasant as well. I'm thinking it was a wonderful adventure to travel in that manner. You definitely became more attuned to nature.
Traveling in the old days was surely an adventure. The majority of what you knew was from stories you had been told. Yes there were pictures and books and such but no where near the information that we would have today. So in a way each journey was a new discovery. I wonder how many never reached their initial destination, choosing instead a beautiful spot along the way. I could see that happening to me.
These thoughts came to mind after reading a blog by a friend. She was lamenting about the lack of personal communicating going on. Now it is all text messaging and posting things on twitter or facebook. People not even taking the time to speak to one another directly. Speed is the object, it seems. Deliver the message as fast as possible. The problem lies in that the message may not be seen,or worse, misunderstood. We need to take the time to be clear in our communications. Personal interaction does rely a great deal on body language and the inflections in our speech. The written word is a poor medium for those.
Each conversation we have with another is a journey. We should enjoy that journey. It should at least be an adventure. Sometimes the journey doesn't go as planned but that is another issue. At least we have the time to explore. These electronic communications are more like receiving instructions than interacting. It is more of an action and a reaction ! We have become so obsessed with reaching the destination that we don't even spell things out anymore. Acronyms abound.
Life itself is a journey and we should share the road. We are accompanied by many travelers , from many different areas. These travelers can inform us of many things, if we but listen. There is much to learn. Traveling forward , with blinders on, we will surely reach our destination, but at what cost ? What have we missed ? I'm thinking it is time to just pause and take a look around. You know what ? Let's talk it over.
Life is simpler when we don't have to deal with others. That is just a plain fact. Is it that that drives this desire to just communicate our wants and needs through electronic mediums ? We just want to go straight to the point ? Is this also what is causing some of the friction in the world today ? Less personal contact does lead to more misunderstandings. In this information age we are sharing a lot of facts, that can not be disputed, but are we sharing our lives ? Are we sharing the very thing that makes us human ? Face to face is quite a bit different than facebook to facebook ! Know what I mean ? Face to face require a commitment. It also requires effort and compromise. Is it the avoidance of the later that is the subconscious impetus ? Humans are prone to being a bit lazy, wanting more leisure time. Life is a journey. The journey can be made easier by listening to fellow travelers. The journey is far more pleasant as well when you just take your time. What's the hurry anyway ?
I was raised on long island. The water was the main thoroughfare for travel back in the old days. It was only the advent of the railroad and then automobiles that changed that. Boats, of all types, were used to go to Connecticut, New Jersey and the upper end of the island. They were faster and more comfortable than horses and buggies. I'm sure they were far more pleasant as well. I'm thinking it was a wonderful adventure to travel in that manner. You definitely became more attuned to nature.
Traveling in the old days was surely an adventure. The majority of what you knew was from stories you had been told. Yes there were pictures and books and such but no where near the information that we would have today. So in a way each journey was a new discovery. I wonder how many never reached their initial destination, choosing instead a beautiful spot along the way. I could see that happening to me.
These thoughts came to mind after reading a blog by a friend. She was lamenting about the lack of personal communicating going on. Now it is all text messaging and posting things on twitter or facebook. People not even taking the time to speak to one another directly. Speed is the object, it seems. Deliver the message as fast as possible. The problem lies in that the message may not be seen,or worse, misunderstood. We need to take the time to be clear in our communications. Personal interaction does rely a great deal on body language and the inflections in our speech. The written word is a poor medium for those.
Each conversation we have with another is a journey. We should enjoy that journey. It should at least be an adventure. Sometimes the journey doesn't go as planned but that is another issue. At least we have the time to explore. These electronic communications are more like receiving instructions than interacting. It is more of an action and a reaction ! We have become so obsessed with reaching the destination that we don't even spell things out anymore. Acronyms abound.
Life itself is a journey and we should share the road. We are accompanied by many travelers , from many different areas. These travelers can inform us of many things, if we but listen. There is much to learn. Traveling forward , with blinders on, we will surely reach our destination, but at what cost ? What have we missed ? I'm thinking it is time to just pause and take a look around. You know what ? Let's talk it over.
Life is simpler when we don't have to deal with others. That is just a plain fact. Is it that that drives this desire to just communicate our wants and needs through electronic mediums ? We just want to go straight to the point ? Is this also what is causing some of the friction in the world today ? Less personal contact does lead to more misunderstandings. In this information age we are sharing a lot of facts, that can not be disputed, but are we sharing our lives ? Are we sharing the very thing that makes us human ? Face to face is quite a bit different than facebook to facebook ! Know what I mean ? Face to face require a commitment. It also requires effort and compromise. Is it the avoidance of the later that is the subconscious impetus ? Humans are prone to being a bit lazy, wanting more leisure time. Life is a journey. The journey can be made easier by listening to fellow travelers. The journey is far more pleasant as well when you just take your time. What's the hurry anyway ?
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