The Global Village

Have you ever noticed how dependent we've become on the Internet?

Remember the days when we used to communicate with loved ones in far away places by snail mail and the occasional expensive telephone call. I used to love getting letters from my friends in the States or in different cities around South Africa. Times have changed.

Just yesterday I spent most of the day "chatting" online to my mates. It is amazing - they are scattered around the world and yet I can have proper conversations with them without having to wait for the postman. There is no excuse for losing touch with people anymore.

Facebook has enabled us to get in contact with people from our past lives. People long forgotten from primary school to old work colleagues. Of course the great thing is that you don't actually need to have a proper conversation with them - a poke every now and then will suffice.

Some of my friends have had affairs that began online. One of whom ended up marrying the guy. The Internet has provided us with the perfect excuse for never having to leaving the house and actually physically interacting with people. I know people whose entire social life is based on Internet communities.

The Internet has allowed the world to become a truly global village.

As grateful as I am for being able to talk to my friends and family far away, I still feel a yearning for the good ol' days. We can chat to one another at a push of a button and yet people are more isolated then ever before. We have become a village of single entities - each absorbed in their own little worlds. A global village in name only.

Remember receiving a call from a friend in distress and rushing over to comfort them? Remember dropping in at a friend's place for a cup of tea and a good chat? Remember families having dinners together and not in front of the TV? Kids nowadays rush through their food and then lock themselves away in their rooms to chat to their mates online, while the parents return to their computers to continue working.

Have we forgotten how to experience real life instead of just observing it through a television screen or on the Internet?