Sometimes I wonder whether 'advancement' of technology brings human beings forward or backward; whether it makes them more efficient or less productive; whether it causes man to be more superficial towards one another or being more personal.
What I am referring to here is that of communications. This morning I received a call where I was queried as to why I did not attend an emergency meeting last Friday - the day when I was on leave. I simply told the person I did not receive any notification about it. She told me an email was sent to all involved. I reiterated that I did not receive any memo from her. Then she went on to say the chairperson of the meeting was not very pleased with my absence.
I asked her to double-check and she told me she would revert.
Fifteen minutes later, I got another call from her to inform me that she did send me a note but the mail bounced. I suggested to her that in future when there is an emergency meeting, a note along with a phone-call would be helpful to ensure there is no break in communication. She agreed and the matter was put to rest.
This is just one example of many. I am also concerned as to how mediums like email, MSN, SMS and IM have made human beings lose that personal touch when it comes to relationships. Ever had cases where you needed to communicate with someone regarding certain issues and it was done over the above mediums mentioned?
There was a situation which I encountered where I was trying to encourage someone over the MSN who was very bitter about certain things. In a couple of sentences where I did not want to make them sound as if I am shoving my ideas down his throat, I added smiley faces. A replied I got from that friend was this - "How can you still smile when I am actually going through a difficult patch? You think this is a joke?!" I tried to explain myself and the communication was broken because that brother stopped all typing.
In the end I called him and explained and the misunderstanding was cleared. A call was made to clear the boo-boo and yet I did not attempt to call him or meet him in person in the first place when I knew the severity of his mental and emotional condition.
Meeting a person shows a lot that you care enough to put aside everything else to be there for that individual. Sometimes a physical touch will bring a lot of comfort to that friend. Praying with the person also can bring healing and encouragement.
Some may not agree to the above paragraph but do correct me if I am wrong - meeting someone in person and doing it over the MSN can differ with regard to giving that individual 100% attention. I can confidently say that a person behind the computer trying to encourage someone can be doing other things at the same time and I feel this is not fair to that friend who is struggling. It shows a lot about us being sincere to help.
Food for thought for all. Technology may not always make humans more efficient... in fact it may cause them to lose that touch.
Got to go for a meeting now.
Have a blessed week ahead!
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
What I am referring to here is that of communications. This morning I received a call where I was queried as to why I did not attend an emergency meeting last Friday - the day when I was on leave. I simply told the person I did not receive any notification about it. She told me an email was sent to all involved. I reiterated that I did not receive any memo from her. Then she went on to say the chairperson of the meeting was not very pleased with my absence.
I asked her to double-check and she told me she would revert.
Fifteen minutes later, I got another call from her to inform me that she did send me a note but the mail bounced. I suggested to her that in future when there is an emergency meeting, a note along with a phone-call would be helpful to ensure there is no break in communication. She agreed and the matter was put to rest.
This is just one example of many. I am also concerned as to how mediums like email, MSN, SMS and IM have made human beings lose that personal touch when it comes to relationships. Ever had cases where you needed to communicate with someone regarding certain issues and it was done over the above mediums mentioned?
There was a situation which I encountered where I was trying to encourage someone over the MSN who was very bitter about certain things. In a couple of sentences where I did not want to make them sound as if I am shoving my ideas down his throat, I added smiley faces. A replied I got from that friend was this - "How can you still smile when I am actually going through a difficult patch? You think this is a joke?!" I tried to explain myself and the communication was broken because that brother stopped all typing.
In the end I called him and explained and the misunderstanding was cleared. A call was made to clear the boo-boo and yet I did not attempt to call him or meet him in person in the first place when I knew the severity of his mental and emotional condition.
Meeting a person shows a lot that you care enough to put aside everything else to be there for that individual. Sometimes a physical touch will bring a lot of comfort to that friend. Praying with the person also can bring healing and encouragement.
Some may not agree to the above paragraph but do correct me if I am wrong - meeting someone in person and doing it over the MSN can differ with regard to giving that individual 100% attention. I can confidently say that a person behind the computer trying to encourage someone can be doing other things at the same time and I feel this is not fair to that friend who is struggling. It shows a lot about us being sincere to help.
Food for thought for all. Technology may not always make humans more efficient... in fact it may cause them to lose that touch.
Got to go for a meeting now.
Have a blessed week ahead!
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
No comments:
Post a Comment