Christmas connections

Displacement vs Hugs

Christmas with the family is a juggling act.

The world, being a global community, manifests itself in many ways. Travel, experiences, general life and work are now more than ever literally accessible all around the planet, thus encouraging extensive personal exploration, resettlement, reestablishment, refocus and more often rejuvenation.

A new start.

Throughout life, people grow. Family members discover a variety of lifestyles, life choices, different ways of living and especially different wants and needs. Often families are hundreds or thousands of km away, if not, continents away from each other. A disconnection through distance is inevitable; although not necessarily an impossible situation:

To keep people happy.

To keep connections.

Connective media

Did he call me on TXT, messenger, Facebook, twitter, Face-time, email, teams, Skype, Snap-chat, what’s app or the damn phone? I can’t remember. The divide of distance is nothing compared to the divide in communications. So many ways to connect digitally. Now the issue is, what platform was it so i can ‘ring em back’.

Social media

The barrage of communicative alternatives, although confronting, does allow us an ability to connect regardless of distance or time variation. There is no divide really now. There needs not be a communication breakdown. At least the possibility of electronic connection is a constant. Knocking out a few satellites and an electromagnetic pulse or two could change things, but at the moment things are reliably stable.

So make sure you Skype, FaceTime or Zoom the Grandma, Grandpa, mum, dad, son, daughter, cat, canary or any other variation that is in your life. Don’t just TXT. People need moving pictures and voice. People need faces, laughs, even tears. Connection is vital, digital media is just a window you can look through.

Hug

I write this whilst sitting at the airport, bound for Brisbane, Queensland. Mandy and I are going to visit Mum. Sometimes digital media simply isn’t enough.

Sometimes you also need a hug.