It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog and I will blame that on the fact that I had friends and family to see and New Years to celebrate. This is what I want to concentrate on for this blog, New Years Eve.
Russ and I have never really been New Years celebratory people. It seems to me that it is just another reason to have a party and get drunk. I can think of better things to celebrate and not necessarily get drunk! But I decided that while we were in Canada that we would have a lovely evening by staying at a lovely hotel right on Lake Ontario at the foot of the city of Toronto. I then found out they were having a dinner in the restaurant at the top of the hotel on the 38th floor. I always remember this restaurant as being a revolving restaurant, but alas they have stopped it from revolving. Not to worry I booked it anyhow and at $150 per person for a 6 course meal I hoped that it would be fantastic! Now I have never ever paid that much for a meal in my life and I now know that I will never pay that again!
But at least I can say that we brought in 2011 with a couple 100 other people who included a retired Lieutenant Govenor General, Miss Canada, Miss Toronto and half the Toronto Mafia!
There were however other people not part of the aforementioned groups and quite a few couples, especially sitting right around us. What did surprise me however was the number of couples around us with mobile phones with them. Out of 5 couples sitting directly around us two of them had phones in use all night and I am not talking about just one but each person of that couple were using their phones. There were also two other couples who had a least one phone on the go.
So my question is, what ever happened to the art of conversation? It became so ridiculous when the guy beside us leaned forward and said to his wife "That was a funny one and I just sent it to you!" I wanted to lean over and ask him what was so funny and if it was really that funny why couldn't he tell his wife through the spoken word and not via an electronic message. It became even more crazy when I realized that even though there was a disc jockey playing music this guys wife was listening to the ipod on her phone! To top that she got up to dance still listening to her ipod. That would have been interesting to see which beat she was going to dance to.
I think that this world has gotten so caught up in technology that we have forgotten how to connect to people face to face. Just think what our world would be like if we all spoke to one another instead of emailed or texted each other. Oh that's right we used to do that! And I honestly think that the world was a much better place. Mind you here I am using electronics to get my message out to you. But that is different!!
That night, Russ and I probably had more conversation than we normally do! And I have to thank those people for that as some of the conversation revolved around them! But it made us realize how much we don't talk to one another, something that I want to change.
The art of conversation is a gift and one that leads us to other joys in live such as friendship and love. Our life here is as temporary as each floating cloud, so don't waste time not talking to each other. Each day give something of yourself to people in your life through the Art of Conversation.
Just going through your old posts, I came across this one.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, when my eldest was 13, she would attempt to spend hours on msn chat. We password protected the computer and imposed a hard and fast rule:
For every five hours of face-to-face contact with real people, she could have one hour of msn.
Although both kids still chat, they actually use the social media to arrange picnics, bike rides, board games, musical jams and walks with the dog. I noticed that when our friends and family come over, both are interested in sitting and talking to everyone whereas kids whose socialization is only virtual, steer away from real interaction.
The latest battle with the eldest was getting the phone turned off and away from the table at dinner.
There is a chemistry between people that happens face-to-face. By letting electronics overtake us we rob ourselves of human interaction. And... and $150.00 a plate, I would damned well expect some human interaction!!!!!!