We all need to connect and strengthen family bonds.
Hello, everyone.
I welcome you to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learner's featured post. We currently live in a world where we literally live with people (family members and friends) in the same house but still feel alone; we feel lonely and can go a whole day without talking to each other or even seeing each other, as everyone is in their rooms and buried in their phones or laptops doing one thing or another. There are people living in the same house but only talking to each other when they want to ask questions, with no chatting of any kind, no keeping each other company, just me staying in my corner and you staying in yours, and only coming to my corner if it is important.
In those days before we got all these gadgets, families spent more time with each other, and we had stronger family bonds than we can actually have today. Back then family members kept each other company, played together, and did a lot of things together, unlike today, where we don't even want a sibling in our room because we feel they will distract us from doing what we ought to do on our phone or laptop. The generation before this generation had better bonds as families, and we can all see that we saw less divorce in that generation compared to what we see today. Today families can get separated with no one even crying or feeling hurt because they share no bond in the first place.
When technology and all that came with it were not there, we cared more and checked up on each other more, and we did it physically, as that was the only way to do so back then. Today we just call, and whatever they tell us is what we believe; whether they lie or not, we don't even know. Back then, with physical visits, you could look at their facial expressions, and that could tell you if they were lying or saying the truth.
No doubt technology has helped improve communication and brought us a bit closer (we can easily reach out to family and friends far away), but it has also brought distance between us. People living in the same house don't even know that the other person is dealing with depression or losing their sanity, but because they don't even have time to look at the other person's face or time to have a conversation with them, they don't even know. We are a generation with smiley faces behind screens but with heavy hearts and sad souls with so many things we want to share but no one to talk to.
My family already observes a no-phone rule during dinner, and it has helped us in a way, as that is when everyone comes together and we have a conversation as a family, discuss what needs to be discussed, tease each other, and spend some time away from the screen too. I strongly support that every family adopt the same and a specific time where everyone comes together and spends some time with each other, as that gives room for those with heavy hearts to open up. People open up when they have a bond with you; the more time we all spend together as a family, the stronger our bond.
Those that are far away seems to be closer than those in the same house. We use to keep ourselves company and play with each other but the reverse is certainly the case now. I just hope families make the decision of when to keep phones aside.
Thank you 😊
I have a cousin that doesn't know how to engage in physical conversation with people. Whenever we are at home, she prefers to text me on WhatsApp despite the fact that we are in the same house, sometimes we sit next to each other and she would still prefer to text using her smartphone.