The Day We Stopped Knocking on Doors

Not just last year, but for some time now, I have developed this habit of staying indoors all by myself and still being able to connect with people, attend events, even argue and make some lovely moments, and all these have been done from my smartphone. Back in those days when I was very young, we loved to visit people a lot, but I guess the era has changed, and this is the new method of connecting for most of us.

Before, there was nothing like all these dating apps, but the new trend now is all these dating apps where most people chat after liking each other's profiles. A lot of work now is done remotely with no physical contact or hugs, not even handshakes. And now also, a lot of games just require us to connect with our data, and we are good to go, unlike those good old days when we would be looking for a field every evening after school to play set football with our bare feet. I remember those times, even though everything looks very simple now, but still, we are missing something.

Personally, I feel if I stay indoors, I am saving myself some time, the stress of going out under this hot sun, and even money because this type of life has been giving me the comfort I need, time, and even safety. And like I was having a discussion with a friend recently, he was like he always has some type of boldness and confidence when he is chatting or talking online because he's a shy person. And even all these online vendors have been given the opportunity to market their goods online.

Aside from all these things I mentioned, sometimes, we require human connection because a lot of online time can later result in loneliness, which will not allow us to feel that care, presence, or emotion from others. There was a time I decided to step outside my indoor life to meet with someone I had been talking to online. I will not lie; the face-to-face interactions felt sweeter than what we have been doing online because I could see the joy and liveliness in everything we did.

And most times, like when I went out with my guys last December, I saw some groups of people all seated together; they were physically present but all busy pressing phones until we left. Then I asked my guys, what was the essence of those people coming together physically, to connect or just to press a phone?

Most of our generation are already like this, and I even see some of our elders doing that, which leaves me to say that we are gradually heading towards doom if we allow technology to replace what we used to do in the past. Do not misquote me; online connection is needed, but it should not replace real-life conversation.

And I will like to add that in everything we do this year we must always apply balance to it, and I think we can still go back to the days of knocking on each other's doors and spending real time together because I personally miss those days too, not this digital noise.

Thank you for reading.

_{Images created by Ai}