Commentary
The One Resolution That Matters
- by Kaila Colbin , Featured Contributor, January 2, 2009
I myself have returned to the place where my mother spent her formative years: Mar del Plata, Argentina. It was my mom's 50th high school reunion, so the whole family joined her for a rare group holiday.
As a kid and young adult, I spent a lot of time here, and made some really good friends. In fact, my two oldest friends are from Mar del Plata, despite the obvious challenges presented by distance and ever-changing circumstances. There were others, no less loved, with whom I had lost contact.
Facebook's great, but nothing beats bumping into someone on the street whom you haven't seen for 20 years. Nothing tops finding out that another dear friend has returned to Argentina and has opened a restaurant on the port, a restaurant you have the privilege of dining at with your entire family the next night.
If you read my column regularly, you know that I am a perpetual and staunch advocate of retaining the humanity in everything you do. Google, LinkedIn, even our dear MediaPost (sorry, guys) are nothing more than tools to help us connect with each other as people. You don't need the Internet to spend midnight on the 31st dancing with your 4-year-old niece or playing bingo with your 87-year-old stepfather.
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My fiance asked me today if I had any New Year's resolutions. I told him I don't believe in them, but now that I think about it, I do have one: to continue to appreciate the people in my life, and to sustain and nourish and grow those human relationships that, to me, make this short stay on Earth worthwhile.
I wish for you in 2009 the delight of human relationships, the joy that they provide and the meaning that they bring -- and I look forward to continuing our relationship. Thank you, always, for reading, and happy New Year!
Thanks for putting it into a better/clearer perspective; in the end it's about human relationships, a lot more important than those we have cultivated electronically.
For 2009 let's shoot for more "me-mail and less e-mail".
Sheldon Senzon
Agreed ... thanks for putting into words what we (my husband and I) are constantly trying to instill in our three teenage children who think we are the worst parents on earth because we poo-poo their need for text messaging and facebook/myspace type interactions!
There is nothing like experiencing the the smile of an 87 year old, or the warm embrace from a long lost friend or family member. Those we can carry with us always!
Happy 2009!
Excellent article. My father passed away a couple of weeks ago, which puts everything in a different perspective. Delight in the human relationships!
As others have stated before me - -kudos for speaking and stating the truth and for keeping technology in its proper place. With the current state of affairs in the country and around the globe, we need one another more now than ever. Thanks and the happiest to you!
P.T. Welch
Thank you all for your kind comments. Arnie, my deepest condolences to you. My own father passed away last year, and it affected me deeply. I was very lucky to have been able to appreciate our relationship while he was still alive.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that when you are in a fight with someone you love, you can think to yourself (or say to the other person), "In 60 years we will both be dead, so how can we waste even one second fighting with each other?"
All the best,
Kaila
Well said. As a 40 something I have a hard time as it is staying on top of all of the technology that is available to keep me in contact with all of my "friends & colleagues." Sometimes I think I have too many ways to let them know what I am doing and whenthat I have a tendency to not say anything. Your verbalization of keeping the humanity in perspective with regard to technology is right on target and I think that reaching out and actually touching those who matter in our lives is what is most important. Thanks for the reminder.
Kaila is spot on. Search should mirror life and have a
human face. Humans like to see the face(s) of those they communicate with (watch small children stare at each other). This is why you can see the people you are
seeking Search information from on www.TVmyworld.com.
Simply video in your Question or your Answer to somebody
elses Question and Face To Face you see the human face behind the Question or Answer; Search with a Human Face - much nicer than robots!!!!!
Great perspective to start off the New Year. Thanks Kaila and Happy 2009!
Couldn't agree w/you more...