The Space Between Us
Margarita Diaz
Lately I can hear it.
The space between us.
We sit inside our squares Neatly fitted on a screen, But the sound gives us away. The emptiness between our walls. Not a silence but a hollowness That reminds us of The space between us.
A dozen single voices Spread across places near or far, Will not fill a room with laughter Or give way to chit chat Or a knowing glance. They cannot close the distance And the space between us.
We sacrifice connection for convenience.
A temporary substitute, yes! A permanent supplement, perhaps. Not an evolution. For humanity evolves, But divolves in increased distances, and The space between us.
And if it all shuts down? Where are we? Who are we? Who are we with? And without? The space between us.
I don’t want more space between us. Not as a society. It’s too quiet. Yet if we proceed without asking, ”Are we going too far?” It might be all we can hear.
The echo chambers, The divisiveness, Not caused by any one person, Oh no, But the collective choice Of convenience over connection.
Algorithms decide who hears us.
We have FRIENDS we’ve never met. Communities at our fingertips. Yet less and less time, For the moments right in front of us.
How often are we choosing This space between us?
There is synergy in differences, But a lacking energy in distances, The distance through a screen, And the space between us.
Virtual this. Virtual that. Virtual classes, dates and chats. Remember when “virtual” meant “almost?” It still does.
When did we sign up, For living in the “almost?” I didn’t. And I won’t.
When is enough, enough?
~ Margarita Diaz @diverseinthecity
Reflection Questions
Social media can be a useful tool or a debilitating crutch. It’s really up to us.
❓Do you spend more time on social media then you normally intend?
And as more individuals, groups and organizations consider a longer term use of online and virtual communications in place of in-person, I wondered, and I ask you:
❓Are we going too far?
I love this. I feel the “almost” in virtual. As a trainer, the convenience of virtual is no longer my ideal space. Restoring equilibrium in the virtual and the real is my goal. I am starving. Hungry for real interaction. First of all I need to physically socialize. Then I can work on hybrid solutions. Beautiful poem ❤️
Thank you, and yes! I am hungry for it too. And it concerns me, if we continue to go in this direction without really considering the implications. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!