Strong Words from Albert Einstein

Today I am grateful for my free Nordic Track machine and the workout it provides. I am also grateful for time with my friends from breast cancer support group last evening as part of a focus group.

As I further consider how the age of information and our ever-advancing technology are both helping and hindering us, I can't help but wonder if the hindering will lead to some real issues. This quote from Albert Einstein contains strong language, but considering that he said it decades ago, and considering what we are seeing in human interactions today, the physicist may have been on to something:

"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. 

The world will have a generation of idiots."

If you research this quote, you will find numerous references indicating that there is no evidence that Einstein ever said this. This is an example of one of my concerns. How much time and energy go into making information easily accessible and then others refuting it, debating it, or going off on a tirade in the comment section?  Even when they are positive and agreeable, do we really need to know what everyone thinks about everything, every news story, every trend, every latest this or that?

Could that time and energy be going to more important pursuits? A clean house? World hunger? 

Who knew there would come a time when organizations would have contests for students to create public service announcements for, of all things, distracted walking?  Who knew that communication would change so much so quickly? "Idiots" may be a bit harsh, but poor communicators for sure. We are already seeing much evidence of this. Listening, really listening, and looking someone in the eye, are both keys to communication. Observe this in others today and see what you see, or don't see. 

Today, I will do my part to help keep us more empathetic humans and less technology-obsessed. Looking others in the eye and really listening to them is a gift that shouldn't be taken lightly. It is true human connection and it can't be matched in the digital world.