The Lost Art of Human Communication...
(have you been replaced by a server?)
&
The Meaning of Falcon and Hawk Sightings... as I saw them...

Hello friends... this month is interesting...
Happy birthday to all Virgo's

Wishing you all lots of heartfelt love and happiness

P & B,
Gail

The Lost Art of Human Communication
by Gail Oliver © 09-05-08

In 2004, I turned my personal phone’s answering machine off for good. I got tired of coming home to 10 messages that were urgent in the minds of the senders. OPP & OPS* (you figure it out). It works... with Caller ID I can see who called, and I can return the call when I have the time... which is usually the same day. Add that to 7 email addresses, a Business line and a cell phone, I figure that's good enough and if you really want to find me.... I can be found.

2+ years ago, I joined a social website (then called Zaadz, now Gaia, now part of the Gaiam conglomerate) for spiritual growth and fellowship. Their pitch was join us, network and share ideas, do conscious commerce and be the change you want to see in the world. God bless you Brian! WOW! I thought, how forward thinking and what a great opportunity to connect with like minded people.

At first I only had a few friends... then a year later I looked up and the numbers increased, now I have 215 friends (not much compared to some other larger social web sites, but considering the numbers, enough... and more than enough "friends" to try to manage). A few of us have communicated off the site and have discussed life, most of them overseas and I chat with them weekly. Onsite, well, some I will write to and hear from again, and some I won't. Some are friendly and some are aloof. Some a genuine, and some are not. Some just need attention... Some are on there all day ( how do they make a living?). Some invite you and then you never hear from them. I guess you get out... what you put in. But when does this become just a collection of people for ego gratification (look how popular I am) or sincere goodwill? If that is the case, then less is way better... if you can’t keep up with the real time people in your life, how can you keep up with ePeople?

Switch reels, this becomes a parable for life. When did electronic communication replace actual human interaction? When did intimacy get replaced with pablum relationships that require no commitment? Sometimes sending love and light, peace and blessings, is a great thing to hear when you are having a tough time... But I still appreciate the human call or visit. On these spaces, its easy to say anything to a stranger... no harm no foul. It is what it is. No "real" investment or "real" responsibility and again, "no" intimacy. This type of communication truly does not matter in terms real life and waters down real relations. How does this foster or sustain human interaction?... There are no challenges or interactive conversations, no emotions, no immediate feedback... Cuts our brain's skills down to silly (useless) putty because again we aren't responsible for anything we say or promise. I find this true with email too... When things get uncomfortable... And they always do.... that’s life!...But now you can “delete!” a conversation. Thus deleting life. And what’s more important than life itself in real time.... after all, we only have NOW!

I am at last weaning myself off of this site... Was I in it for the attention like most? Or was I in it to connect? True I have met friends that are like minded that perhaps I would have never met where I live, and I love them.... but then given the chance, maybe I would have run into real time humans that are like-minded in my own environment. The internet seems to dis-enfranchise us from real connections with real people.... and make it OK to be disfunctional.

When did we become a society of email junkies instead of real time communicators? When did we lose touch with human interaction? When did arguments online replace shared human emotion and passion? We’re all guilty...(been there done that, got the tee shirt, gave it to goodwill, and soooo over it) When did phone skills and talking with people back and forth become replaced with a “tag your it” mentality? (I got you first, now the balls in your court)... This cuts out rejection or consent in real time...Real life.... Are we that insecure? When did our lives begin to be played out over the world wide web like a soap opera? (seemingly private, but by now we should know better) When did this become the optimum way to communicate? Is this easier than dealing with the messiness, and responsibilities of real people? Are we that lazy?

I still prefer a real visit with face to face interaction (being able to see, touch, react) or a 5-10 minute conversation if not longer when a visit is impossible, for optimum communicating.... it takes longer to email anyway. With email, you don’t have to deal in real time with real time reactions... and by the time you check back, the response either irrelevant or outdated.

If you are in business, it cuts out faxes and phone calls therefore, I understand the worth of this form of communication. What took hours, messengers, FedEx and 2 day shipping in my chosen profession, now takes minutes... Now I can do my graphic design and be "Green"... I can collect photos, copy and art, create it, it can be proofed and it can be approved online. I can even order the printing online, transfer the files and then have the project shipped to the client without leaving home... So I get it, and I'm glad to be able to utilize this technology.

But when did this become acceptable for dealing with and cutting out our friends and loved ones by lumping them into an abyss of eCommunication? No one is that [fill in the blank] busy... When did our form of relaxation become bantering on a social website for hours with strangers and or emailing loved ones replace and become our chosen form of human reach out OR touch? Jokes, political mess, photos, a great poem/story, uplifting info.... Yeah, I get it! Texting and e-mails after all have replaced paging... but at least with paging you usually spoke to the person at some point. Cell phones... Well you know how I feel about that from previous blogs... Its rude! Especially when you bypass old phone etiquette ( I have company), for new school urgency (look, I'm popular!). News alert! There is a time and a place for this! As stated before... If you are always attached to the new millennium’s umbilical cord ( your beam me up Scotty gear), you are detached from the real time real world with your foot in the future.... If I have company, or I am in a meeting, or I am interacting with a real human... the cell phones off! I do not answer. And I do not answer if I am driving... My life is too important and so should be yours!

When did we get so self-involved and so self-centered, that we have no time for people? Aren’t these devices and innovations suppose to make life more efficient? So why has it made real time interaction with humans seemingly obsolete and unimportant?

Enough said....

To my friends on Zaadz and the like ( my real time friends)... I LOVE YOU ALL.... However, I am going to go back to real life interaction... as messy as it is... as uncomfortable as it is... as inconvenient as it is... as beautiful as it is... as rewarding as it is... as fulfilling as it is... as comforting as it can be!.. At least it's real... and stop this madness... It is the regression of our society as we know it.. a major dis-connect when we are supposed to be connecting... in these disconnected times.

I hope you can disconnect long enough from the “E” world to join me in the “RT” (real time) world... BALANCE!

Disclaimer... I really enjoy email to reach out to friends and family that live in other towns and countries... after all there would be no way to communicate with them other than high phone bills. My rant is based on the social web sites... and those that use this as a way to avoid true intimacy... As a friend told me last night... with texting and email, there is no way to save a kind message or love offering, birthday greetings or words of encouragement.... not like a handwritten note or card that can be reread and cherished forever...

*other people's problems and other people's shit...


Hawk

In Native American cultures the hawk represents a messenger. It often appears in our life when we need to pay attention to the subtle messages found in our surroundings and from those we come in contact with. As with all messages received it is important to recognize its underlying truth. Because there are so many varieties of hawk its messages vary and can affect all levels of our psyche.

One thing that all hawks have in common is the skill to move between the seen and unseen realms gracefully connecting both worlds together. Their acute vision compliments this ability and their discriminating nature keeps them out of harms way. The broader vision of the hawk allows them to see what the future holds. In man this symbolizes prophetic insight. If this medicine is underdeveloped a tendency towards over analyzing everything is common. In so doing, clear vision is lost. Those who hold this totem should remember to keep their analytical mind under control and not allow it to run wild.



The Peregrine Falcon

lives up to its Latin name: Falco Peregrinus which means foreigner or stranger because it is a migratory bird rather than sedentary - it is found throughout the world and tends to travel great distances. The peregrine is most often used in falconry due to its keen intellect and incredible ability to calculate or judge its prey.

Throughout history, culture and myth, Falcons symbolize superiority, spirit, light, freedom and aspiration. The Falcon is a solar emblem for success, victory and rising above a situation. Further evidence of its solar influence, the Falcon was symbolic of the rising sun in Egypt. It is also the king of all birds where many gods were shown with the head or body of the Falcon (including Ra).

In Western tradition, the Falcon represents the huntsman and is associated with the Germanic sky-gods Wodan as well as Frigg and the trickster Loki.

In European culture the Falcon is considered a warlike symbol. At its core, the Falcon represents visionary power, wisdom, and guardianship. This powerful bird awakens visionary power, and leads you to your life purpose. The Falcon carries with it a message of transition and change - perhaps in your vocation, work, home, etc.

The fact that this Peregrine chose to show itself is a powerful message in itself. This is a call for you to pay attention to the your performance, your function, your actions. Falcons encourage us to calculate and strategize. If we have a goal, Falcons beckon us to make plans and strategies to obtain these goals.

Falcons are all about focus - strong, one-pointed focus. When they show themselves to us, we are being called to focus on our desires and our goals, and do what is necessary to bring our desires into our reality.

The fact that the Falcon is a solar beast, something in your life that you are highly passionate about, and the Falcon is asking you to take action on this passion. But be smart about it - don’t jump into something without doing research and planning. Make your passion a reality by persuing it methodically.

Lastly, invoke the spirit of the Falcon in your meditations, during quite/relaxing times, and just before sleeping. When you calm yourself and call upon the spirit of the Falcon, the Falcon is then able to come through your consciousness and provide you more details about what you must know. Animals are always willing to provide us more messages - it is up to us to allow their messages to come through an listen.

Thank you for this gift! These birds are a wonderful gift from God to witness...