i-disconnect

The other day I had taken the subway close to the end of work hours, it was rush hour, the train pulled up at the 33rd St. station and in a split second I was surrounded by 'robot' like humans, their eyes glued to their 'Blackberry'. Every few seconds, they looked down upon it, as if, by checking it that frequently, messages would suddenly appear by magic.
Right at that moment, my mind travelled into the future, filled up with images of gadget touting, headphone wearing people going about their business without a single spoken word...scary!
I wondered, was the art of conversation dying??

'Staying Connected' started with e-mail, moved on to 'chat',video chat,blogs and then a whole host of revolutionary sites like the Youtube,Facebook,Myspace came up, the most recent one being Twitter.

It's all great, but somehow I get the feeling that as we engage via these means, we are yet so disconnected from each other. Don't all of us at some point or the other resort to sending an e-mail, rather than picking up the phone or meeting up? It's so much more uncomplicated when there's no one to answer you back in real-time. Each one of us is retreating into a bubble, enslaved by gadgets and cutting edge technology.

Let technology be a means to an end.
The next time you're on your computer/blackberry/iphone, take a moment to talk, to hug, to smile, to 'connect'.

Moment of Truth

A long time back when I was working on my first job, I came across the term 'Moment of Truth' at a customer service training seminar .
It's defined as the instance of contact or interaction between a customer and a firm that gives the customer an opportunity to form (or change) an impression about the firm .

Although this is the technical definition of the term, to me, it simply means, interactions with complete strangers that warm your heart. Small acts of kindness, a few courteous words, that touch your heart and stay with you long after.
I've encountered several such 'moments' during my stay here in the USA.

Here I was, trying to enter my apartment building, with several shopping bags in one hand and pushing a double stroller with the other, dreading the thought of getting through the double doors when some one on the other side, held the doors open for me. It's a gesture that we take for granted but at that instant, it was a moment of truth for me.
Then there's another one when my husband and I went to apply for my daughter's passport at the Post Office and the clerk was so gracious and polite. She was appreciative of my new baby and to top it all also gave her a coloring book and a box of crayons! This came as a huge surprise to me especially because, in India, one dreads going to the Post Office.
There were numerous moments of truth at the hospital where I gave birth to my two children. Every nurse that attended to me did so with a smile on her face, the baby was taken care of beautifully and the whole staff actually hugged me when I left the hospital ! Who has tears in their eyes when leaving a hospital, well, I did!

My life is enriched each day by moments of truth, I'm sure yours is too. Care to share some?