“By setting aside time every day, we can leave the pixelated wilds and rest at least for a little while in a place of unplugged, authentic human connection.” This quote from author Meghan Cox Gurdon’s book The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction, is referring to setting aside time to read to children. As I wrote in a recent post, Ms. Cox Gurdon’s book presents many compelling reasons to make this commitment.
This quote also reminds me of how “unplugged, authentic human connection” is important in all relationships. Too often we see, such as in a restaurant, a family or a couple sitting together but each person, adults as well as children, is looking at his or her phone. There is no interaction among them. There are also many times when children try to get a parent’s attention, but the parent continues looking at the phone and ignoring the children or telling them to wait. These are just two of the many examples of people choosing technology over human connection.
I want to be clear that I’m truly amazed at and appreciative of advances in technology. I value the many useful features of smart phones, computers, and the internet and the way they have improved our lives. And I understand there are times when people need to check if they’ve received an email or voicemail message that needs a response. But I am concerned about the negative consequences when people spend so much time using technology that they don’t realize it is at the cost of not having genuine connections with people. I’m not alone in having this concern; many articles have been written about this topic.
When I think of authenticity, I also think of the Jungian concept of individuation. Individuation is the life-long process of becoming the unique persons we were each created to be by growing in consciousness. As people become more conscious and centered, they become more genuine and trustworthy and therefore more authentic. These are qualities that matter in interactions with the people we know and love and also with everyone with whom we interact.