Nowadays, it seems as if technology is replacing the human contact we used to have and this is all across the board. You see this in stores where little by little you no longer need a cashier to charge for your items. There are machines where you can scan the items of purchase yourself, follow the directions and pay either with cash or credit card. You see this over the phone when calling a company, rather than a human being responding to the call, it is a machine giving you options to prompt you to dial a number not once, not twice, more often than not more than three times before you even speak to a human being. And now this is also spilling over to dating where you are not really dating the person you are with because their attention is also on chatting with someone else over the phone while out on a date with you. I wonder where we are heading as a society with all this technology replacing what is not replaceable and that is human contact.
In a world that is becoming more stressful and where it almost feels as if we are more distant from each other, having human contact is essential. It is that human contact that makes us feel that we are all connected. It is that human contact that makes us feel like we are cared for. We were meant to connect with one another. Technology is such a great thing because it allows us to get close with those that are physically far from us. On the other hand, because of the misuse of technology, this has distanced those that are close by.
My advice to combat that is to start cultivating those positive relationships that you have. Start by spending time with your kids, parents, good friends, etc. Give them your undivided attention when you do spend time with them. Paying attention to something else while being with them doesn’t count. Giving them your undivided attention makes them feel like you are truly there with them and that the time you spend with them matters. When you cultivate healthy relationships, you will notice your inner void or hunger for love dissipating. To receive love you must give love.
Another way of combating this lack of human contact is by being kind and smile at others even if you don’t know them. We are all connected one way or another and what we do to others does come back to us. When you are kind and smile at others, the world smiles right back at you. The gift of your smile can go a long way and can even make someone else’s day. Your kindness can melt a hard heart. It’s so beautiful when providing a service to hear the words “please” and “thank you”. This acknowledges the service that is being provided and that the service is appreciated. So the next time you go anywhere where service is being provided to you, don’t forget the magic words.
Have respect for the way others are, think, where they come from, their likes, etc. We all deserve respect and we all are drawn to those who respects us for who we are. You can not expect others to be drawn to you when you are full of criticism and negativity. Respecting others is respecting yourself. What we say reflects the way we feel about ourselves. Make it your goal to want to learn about other people’s culture, other ways of thinking, learn about other religions so you can learn tolerance. This will help you to be more open-minded and have more respect of other people’s differences.
Be more giving! Give more sincere love, time, attention, smiles, kindness, positivity and details that shows the other person you thought of them. One example of details is when my father was hospitalized, I bought him a small teddy bear which I told him will protect him and watch over him. I poured so much love and positivity on this teddy bear, it was a gift of love. My dad told me that one nurse said she felt the teddy bear was staring at her. I told my dad that was the teddy bear telling the nurse that she better take good care of him. He laughed.
As you can see, there are different ways that you can cultivate more human contact. You can do this everywhere in any situation whether you are at a restaurant or over the phone, for example. Human contact is part of our wellbeing because we are social beings. Make it a goal to have positive interactions with other people and you will grow in wellbeing.
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