New and Improved
November 2013
"Has technology made us disengaged?"
Years ago I stopped wearing a watch; a watch hanging on my wrist annoys me. As a result, I often ask people for the time. I stop someone, ask the question, look them in the eye, and listen carefully to their response. I do this knowing full well that human interaction, however brief, is always risky. While I might meet someone friendly, I could also be outright rejected. Many times I’ve been told, “It’s time to get a watch.” Regardless, the possibility of a negative encounter has never been enough to motivate me to begin wearing a watch or dissuaded me from asking the time. However, I wonder how many of us would buy a watch just to avoid the unpredictability of human interaction.
Human interaction is erratic. People make mistakes—they can give us the wrong time. People have emotions—they will give us the time but with an attitude. People are busy—they give us the time on their time. We consider it an improvement when we take people out of the equation.