By Lauren Michelle

Communications and New Media Major

An oxymoron; if you think about it for a moment maybe life is just that. It seems while everything we do, think and feel, we also experience the polar opposite; a balance of sorts. Yet, sometimes one side of this equation outweighs the other; this unparalleled balance is when we experience a challenge of sorts.

As we move through a progressive change in technology things may appear simpler, such as communication. We can now send a text, a status, an email, a tweet or a photograph to let the world know how we feel, where we are or what we believe. This self-expression happens in just seconds, the blink of an eye. It is truly remarkable, with the touch of a button we reach everyone, even those we do not know. That in itself is no small feat, but does this serve us well and our future generation? We must be hesitant here; a loss for words, contact, touch and feeling – that is a lot to give up. Will our children know the great value of a hug, will they learn empathy, will they trust and know the value of love, attention and time?  It is these things that make life truly beautiful; without this it will be a lonely world full of people going through the motions of living, but never coming close to our true destination.

We as humans have a few essential needs: water, oxygen, food, and last but not least love. We need the first three to live, to breathe, and to be healthy. The four item we need to survive, to be courageous, to know strength, trust, kindness and empathy. This is the block that creates life and everything in between. We need character, confidence and sheer bravery to compete in the race we call life. Does our need to detach from those around us and attach to the world through social media take away the most important element of all? We as a race need company, a shoulder, a hand, a kiss, a smile; to laugh, to cry, to be tender – these are essential. The question remains: Are we getting those needs met as a community? Just a little food for thought. To be continued.

The following link provides a great talk regarding this topic: