Conspiracy to Get Us to Stay Home… Hmm.
The path to communication and socialization used to leave footprints—then came the telephone. The invention of the telephone created this: Why visit Grandma when I can call? And that was only the beginning…
The greater we advance in technology, the more we seem to isolate ourselves (not good). The COVID pandemic just accelerated all of that. We discovered that many of us could work from home. Sure, this saved fuel and helped us avoid morning traffic, but it also meant less human contact—no morning coffee with coworkers, fewer discussions, and if someone was feeling down, we sent an emoji of a hug. No physical contact. Very little socialization.
Meeting friends at a pub used to be a weekly ritual for many of us, but with the current prices of a drink and a taxi, it’s not so popular anymore… Stay at home.
Last week, my wife and I went to the cinema on a Friday evening. We were six people in that particular theatre. Why go to the movies when you can stream hundreds of films at home?… Stay at home. The theatre we attended had fewer staff working than the time before. These are student jobs, and without them, guess what? Teens are staying at home. The Galaxy Theatre in Brockville closed a year or two ago. Please encourage our local theatre to stay open.
Companies like DoorDash and other delivery services make it easy to stay at home. One call or text, and you can eat in the comfort of your own home. No more meeting friends or family, no chance of running into someone you haven’t seen in years, or engaging in friendly banter with the waiter or waitress… Stay home.
Remember the pleasure of shopping—whether for clothes, books, or homewares? Being able to touch items and see how they work, maybe with a salesperson assisting your decision? Today, why go out? One click, and the package arrives the next day, encouraging many impulsive purchases. I encourage you all to watch Buy It Now on Netflix; it will change your life. No shopping in person means fewer local shops and fewer local jobs.
Remember coming home from school, doing chores, then heading out to see your friends? Hanging out at the corner store, park, or schoolyard? All done. Kids now come home with their phones in hand, pet the dog twice maybe, then close their bedroom door to chat online. Meanwhile, vocabulary and social skills are on the decline… It’s okay—they all do it, right? Sad thing is, even when teens, and sometimes adults, are out at a restaurant together, all of them are on their phones. I find that pathetic…
But hey, I guess if I don’t want to see that, I can just… Stay home.
