Escapist Strategies

One of those idiotic articles, 'How to talk to a woman who is wearing headphones', when wanting to met a stranger of the opposite sex was published in my local newspaper. Wow! Is it revealing about the electronic culture today. It was fluff and not worthy of detail, but in  the end the author claims it's best to just leave the woman alone, that she "doesn't want to be bothered" If that's not the way so many of us relate to strangers today, the "I prefer my cell phone or other electronic device to live human contact. I have no risk when I live in the virtual world".

I've seen a lot of the headphone, cell phone escapists strategy. It's sad. In the case of a woman wearing headphones and maybe or maybe not listening to music I always wonder why someone would prefer electronic devices to contact with a real person. There are many possibilities in the music headphone scenario. She's probably not listening to anything. She just doesn't want to be bothered. "Take a hint" the headphone defense screams at all around her. But then I also think that she's self absorbed and is heading to the all virtual lifestyle that is becoming both more common and more accepted.

Perhaps it's best that people who hide behind or are absorbed with non human relationships do live in that refuge. It helps us escape being bored by them. Maybe it's nature's way of  weeding out the virtual and non virtual denizens. I think than most normal humans would probably not be too pleased with trying to converse with a person who prefers mindless pop music to the mind of a  real, live human being.

I wonder if humanity has ever before, in any other generation, at any time, tried so hard to not be human? Has modern technology made basic human pursuits passé'? Is the future of humanity to be less and less personal and more and more virtual? How much does the strategy of aversion toward others affect us?  Is it possible that the stresses and pace of modern life actually force us to cope with it all by hiding behind those headphones. What do you think?  Oh....please put down those headphones and pay attention to me.