Put down the phone and go make a genuine connection

Today I was inspired by Jared Mankelow’s Sunday Slowdown series, and decided to step off my regular path and instead offer up an interesting thought I recently ran across instead.

In today’s world, we’re more digitally connected than ever, but somehow, we’re also more disconnected.

Think back to a generation ago, when staying active was simply part of life. Physical activity wasn’t something you had to plan, it was built into daily routines through work, commuting, and simple tasks.

Today, in the age of constant distractions, meaningful connection has been engineered out of our lives. We no longer have those natural moments, like talking to the person next to us during a long car ride or having dinner without distractions.

Now, just like we had to start going to the gym in the '80s and signing up for marathons to stay fit, we might soon have to schedule time for connection. What will the future look like? Will we have “social gyms” or “conversation marathons” to help us reconnect?

It’s not so much that we’ve lost the ability to connect, but that we’ve stopped practicing it intentionally. Can we bring back the art of connection in a world that’s constantly pulling us in a million directions?

———​ Industrial Designers International Linkedin Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13176226/