The Paradox of Progress

THE PARADOX OF PROGRESS Communication has been around since the dawn of man, It’s evolved from smoke signals and the beating of drums, Hieroglyphics gave rise to alphabets and the written word, Along came the inventions of the telephone, fax and intercom. We had Morse code, the pony express and radio, Which eventually gave rise to TV, Homing pigeons used to carry messages, And truckers would converse on their CB’s. The world has gotten smaller and more connected since, The phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, But he never dreamed that one day, You’d be able to access the internet and send a text on your cell. Recently, I observed 5 people at a table, having lunch, So it was quite obvious that they were not alone, Yet those same 5 people were oblivious to each other, Because all of them were using their cell phones. With the continuous advancement of communication, The population feels the need to always be in touch, But when it interferes with face to face conversation, When does texting, facebook and email become way too much? These days, people bring their tablets and I-phones, And other mobile devices wherever they go, With the touch of a screen or the push of a button, We’ve become addicted to sharing all sorts of info. Quite often when someone is in the company of other people, And their device prompts them for something to be viewed, Their attention is diverted, and they ignore the people they’re with, And most people would agree this is quite rude. With the advent of social media technology, Mobile devices have caught on like wildfire, But at the same time, it seems that, People’s social skills are lacking, and something to be desired. Technology is certainly a marvelous thing, And it is definitely here to stay. But while we are in the company of others around us, Let’s all be courteous and put our devices away.