Heads Down, Brains On Hold

Yesterday was a revealing day for me. Well, I did two ordinary things that confirmed an affirmation of my observation that as the world population continues to spiral to out of control numbers of humans (overpopulation, not the trendy nonsense the environmental extremist push, is the one real environmental problem humans have to deal with), we humans keep racing to avoid real contact with each other. My anecdotal evidence of the non contact wish keeps appearing.

My first ordinary activity yesterday was to have my hair cut. And while sitting and waiting my turn I did my usual cell phone addiction check of those also in wait. There were eight of us and the seven others assumed the popular culture position of  "Heads down, brain on hold". That is, they never looked up at the other humans around them, never a glance from their phones to see the reality that was there but to which they felt no "connection". While I stared in contempt of their anti social stance, they smiled, giggled and plugged their gazes into their reality, an electronic addiction device.

I'm certain it wasn't me that kept them in heads down position. I didn't smell bad or even open my mouth to make my usual offensive remarks about the state of this offensive world in which we live.
 They simply found a cell phone more interesting than humans around them. What does this disinterest in avoiding others mean to us? I wondered and postulated an answer of two, but will save you that rant as this one is probably enough to take. Better that you try to discover why more and more humans are trading reality for mindless virtual experiences.

My hair cut finished, I headed to that second ordinary chore, having my car serviced, an oil change and general checkup, at a large local automobile dealership. After I checked-in and headed for the customer service seating area to wait until the car was serviced I sat in a lovely seating area, comfy chairs positioned close to each other for more customer contact. I think a conversation with a stranger is quite a nice experience and healthy for us. We meet new people, with new ideas and opinions and become less self absorbed because it forces us to concentrate on others' interests rather than self interest.

But not a word was spoken, discouraging or otherwise, among the 10 or so humans who moved into and out the seating area while I sat and waited for my car maintenance to end. The other nine ignored the magazines, newspapers, TV set that was turned on, even the free coffee adjacent.  It's because they all assumed the same heads down, brains on hold position I saw at the barber shop. But theses were different people! Or were they? I wondered if one robot is like another and sadly concluded it was. There was no conversation among any of us. Only when the auto dealer service representative announced to the owner their car wa ready for released, did any of those robots....err...I mean humans, speak a single word.

One man did alternate between mindless stares and finger poke of his phone and then his computer. But he never looked up or at any of the humans in the room. The others were in full brain dead trance.  Am I wrong that we humans are better when we communicate with each other? Am I wrong that an opportunity for contact of greater substance than virtual contact was missed that day at the barber shop and auto dealer? Am I wrong that ritual social contact with strangers is better than another game of Candy Crush or superfluous texting or tweeting on a phone?
Better not answer. I am afraid of the answer I'll get.