Slow Down

The younger generation seems to have become all-consumed with the concept of constant connection. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and myriad lesser-known players provide the forum for anyone to connect and communicate with millions of people all around the world. It's not uncommon for people to have hundreds, if not thousands, of 'friends'. I'm not the first, nor will I be the last person to ask myself, why?

I suppose the frivolous nature of this type of communication is generally harmless, but it can lead to a skewed sense of what a real connection is and consequently an altered view of what friendship means. Deep and meaningful connections with family and friends are the lifeblood of our existence on this earth. With them, we thrive, but without them, we become empty and lonely souls. So if our social life is filled with ephemeral and frivolous connections, that can only limit one's capacity for the type that take time and emotional investment to build.

That's why I feel it's about time people stopped feeding the ever-expanding social networking monster and re-engage with a world where substantive conversation and true friendship is the norm and not simply the purview of those of us who "just don't get it." Back in 1989, there was a similar movement to counteract fast food and fast life called 'Slow Food'. That global movement now has over 100,000 members in 132 countries and continues to build momentum as people like the First Lady Michelle Obama support its principles.

Read about the Slow Food Movement here:
http://www.slowfood.com/

Perhaps if enough people find this interesting, we can start a parallel movement to counterbalance the influence of these omnipresent social networks. We'll call it the 'Slow Friend Movement', get some venture capital and build a huge company out of it! jk ;-) But in all seriousness, it is about time to slow down and have some meaningful conversations with our family and friends. That means infinitely more than a simple text message exchange. Trust me, we will all be richer for it.