No doubt that we are in an age where technology does more to divide us than to unite.
These days I spend most of my time in Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley. It's amazing that there are so many people who are connected to one another through their neighborhoods, families, and their churches. But in spite of all these reasons to be connected, people are always telling me how disconnected they feel. I don't believe that we know less people, or even that we know less about the people who matter in our lives. It's about how we are connected.
The paradox is that we have near-infinite access, yet we feel alone. I know, I know...there are many reasons that our connections are not as strong - from lack of time to dual income households to more mobility as a culture. But the primary reason, in my opinion, is that we have new tools that have expanded our peripheral vision. We can now see everywhere and find information anywhere. A new friend, online, is just a click away.
The solution, is not to attack technology as fundamentally evil. That happened when we left the agrarian age and moved into the industrial age. It takes time to get used to our expanded personal horizons. The solution is to explore new ways of creativity, communications, and distribution.
It's just like getting a new box of crayons.
