so what DOES it all mean?

I sat through 5 minutes of a crazy presentation that was filled with all kinds of numbers on technology proliferation. Things like India's top 25% of honors kids outnumbers ALL kids in America.... that over half of what is learned by this year's freshmen going to college for technical degrees will be outdated by thier 3rd year of school... that the average person will have 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38.

The presentation ends with a slide that says "So what does it all mean?"

What DOES it all mean? Facebook virtually eliminates the need for a high school reunion - you can see pictures of classmates and their kids, their jobs, etc online. You can move to another country and Skype with your family every day, provided they are not on dial up.

At the heart of all of this technology is communication, and speed of communication. This is the beginnings of the human race coming together as a collective organism. Those fiber optic cables that can download music and carry phone calls at millions of megabytes per second are the human root system. Like the Aspens here in Colorado, we are all connected to each other. Yes, you, dear reader, are part of me here in this great virtual space.

Right now the choice is ours as to how connected we want to be. But we log on and we read the news, we see what is going on in remote parts of the world, we pick a cause and spread the word via the internet, we plan trips and events and surgeries online. The fibers cross, and we are all connected.

That being said... all this technology cannot replace true human interaction: touch, expression, socialization, sorrow, laughter with your friends. No matter what the speed of communication is in the digital age it will never match the speed of the smile returned by the friend facing you or the instantaneous comfort of a hug. So go visit the people you love. Bring your daughter to meet her grandparents. Play football with your friends. Hug your mom. Hi-five your best friend. Go out and LIVE. We've been granted the HUMAN experience. Live it and learn from it, and use the fiber optic root system to convey your experience to those who are absent from your daily presence.