hi tech and faces

It has come to my attention that the use of today's machines has caused a shift in how we relate to each other.

Now in a Doctor's office there are those that are typing away while asking questions about your health even the Doctor is part of this new system. It is reported that in hospitals that a team of interns move from room to room updating the reports on the computer, order new tests and check the meds that are on the chart all saved on the laptop. All the while, no one looks the patient in the eye or touches the skin of the person. The conversation never takes place. The patient is cared for by the means of machines and meds. It is said that the new surgeries are performed with speed by the former whiz kids of the Nintendo games. Machines have the ability to give the averages but it is the human contact that gives knowledge of individual cases.

Last year, the Google company offered a million dollars each for ten new, simple ideas that would change the world for the good of humanity. Well, after months, of delay because they received so many ideas, the top 15 ideas were finally announced and frankly, it was very disappointing. I understood the goal to be simple, inexpensive and universally easy to apply. Something in the order of a net around the bed at night to save millions from malaria or local banks loaning money to women to start businesses in third world countries. Instead, there were endless ideas about how satellites and computers will link the world about shared ideas or news. Not one of the finial ideas were free from modern machines. Recently, there was an article about the emotional immaturity of the heads of Google and I knew what it was all about.

This whole shift of interpersonal contact though machines is creating a generation that emails, cell phones and text messages but is in the process is losing the ability to read a face, understand an emotion and have empathy with another human being. If this is not developed in this generation, what will be the emotional state of the future?

If the eyes are the mirror of the soul, the touch an expression of concern and love maybe we all have to rethink the use of our machines.