Inspire: I'm In My Happy Place

Dark blue, dark blue /
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room
Jack's Mannequin, Dark Blue

We're a network of people. Pretty much everyone alive today in North America understands that. We're on the internet, on Facebook, on MySpace, reading blogs, text messaging our boss, attaching vacation photos to our email, and generally connecting very well with friends, family, and even anonymous people in a richer media environment every month.

But there's something lost here. We're all consuming private media, and there's so much of it, and it's all targeted for us, and we need time to get it all. So we put our headphones on while waiting for the bus, like the guy pictured above. What you don't see in that shot, however, is the crowd of people just behind him. There's literally twenty people within a step and a half of where he is... and he isn't interacting with a single one.

As a society, we've praised the individual to death. And that's just not a cute turn of phrase. Every day, I meet people who are dying for some real human contact - a handshake, a "good job," a "hey, buddy, how's it going?" If you live in an urban setting, I guarantee you that every day you pass within ten feet of literally HUNDREDS of people that are aching for some kind of connection, community.

But our modern society discourages establishing community in the face to face world. When was the last time you made a friend out of someone that you met in your community? Can you tell me the names of the people that live next door to you? Would you feel comfortable asking your neighbors for a cup of sugar (I did once, actually - it was an egg, but the principle was the same - and it led to a good relationship).

And this isn't something that's a nice little "in the abstract" discussion, either. This is how my life goes. I met my girlfriend, who in real life is so amazing it boggles the mind... online. If we had walked past each other on our way to work, we would have ignored each other. Other then friends I've met through friends, I have friends I've met through online forums who live in different continents, online video games, who live in different countries. I can't remember the last time I "met someone" just by... *shock* meeting someone!

I'm missing something local. Maybe I'm an idealist, but I think you should be able to walk down your block, wave to someone who's cutting the lawn, and say "hi" without feeling like you've just walked over someone's grave. I want to know who the people who live across the street from me are. I think I've had more interaction with the crew that built their new fence then with them.

So let me know in the comments - because we're all in this together - how can we break this cycle of loneliness and isolated?