No man is an island...

So the saying goes. And for centuries this has been true of mankind. People around the globe have gathered and lived in communities, as social organisms who have interacted with each other; who have reached out to each other for help, support and emotional warmth. We never thought it would or could be any other way.
Many people who, despite living in an unwired world, went out of their way and stayed in touch, made a point of maintaining contact with friends and families scattered around the world.People who immersed themselves in their work activities and social gatherings just so their minds and hearts would not feel the pangs of an inherently lonely existence.
Maybe, sometimes, it was because in their heart of hearts they were lonely - because, maybe, in their own homes they found no companionship, no shared interests, no one who was interested in what they did, what they achieved, what they thought and felt.
This has driven many into relationships which they hoped would bring warmth and companionship into their empty personal world.Sometimes failing miserably... but at least they tried!
But today we have a world where personal warmth and interpersonal bonds have fallen by the wayside.
Why talk when you can email? Why walk around the corner when you can text? Why go out and smell the roses (or the coffee) when you can travel the world on the web? Why enjoy the slow unfolding of a story when you can live the lives of cardboard characters vicariously on TV? Why walk that extra mile to sort out a problem when you can litigate? Why reach out to someone and communicate one-one-one (as today's GenNext is fond of saying) when you can feel the second-hand thrills and chills of shooting up bad guys and racing over hapless bystanders courtesy a Game Console?
Hey, bad enough one has to go to work and talk to service providers! Don't ask us to also get to know and talk and hold our hands out to people who we might actually grow to love and like. Too much hard work, too much trouble. And God help us if we really need help one day - because maybe, just maybe, there won't be anyone around to listen to us.