Go hug your mother

This country is very connected, but only in theory. It was brought to my attention last night that, out of around 300 million people, 110,000 are on Facebook. In addition to this, about twenty million are on Twitter and around sixty million are on MySpace.

And these numbers are growing!
It seems to me that it has become extremely simple for people to connect at a surface level. However, in life, there is always compensation.

By gaining connection to so many people at such a superficial level, are we losing deeper connections? Years ago, it was easier for people to keep deep relationships because if you knew somebody, it was probably because you lived right by them.

Cars, trains, airplanes, cell phones, and the internet all allow for more mobility in our culture, but bring with them an emotional distance from those we love.

I do not by any means suggest that these advances are worth getting rid of, but I am simply introducing a little bit of food for thought.

So now, go hug your mother.