When I was 23, I moved to another country.
Whilst the difference between Scotland and England might not seem that stark, it seemed a long way away for a 23-year-old to pitch up in Nottingham 350 miles away from where he grew up, not knowing anyone or anywhere.
The first six months were really difficult, and I used that time to make friends and build relationships with people who I guess could help and support me and whom I could help and support in return and 27 years later I find myself still calling on some of those relationships when times are difficult or when I need advice or support.
Those relationships were built from contact and conversation and interaction and sharing personal information and almost all of this happened face-to-face.
This week we had a senior leadership team meeting at the practice, and we had 90 minutes where we spoke and supported and helped and encouraged each other through an agenda of the work that we’d like to do and the things that we’d like to achieve but it was face-to-face and honest and open and caring.
As the world moves on, I find to be encountering more and more people who are upset and annoyed by less and less significant things.
One of the other interesting things we find is that more and more people involve an older member of their family to come and represent them when they feel they have a difficulty or a problem.
When I was 23, I wrote my car off in Nottingham running into the side of someone else through a stop sign in wet weather.
I had to deal with that entirely by myself through the insurance companies, the other driver, fixing repairs, delivering cars etc.
Now sometimes I feel that people are less and less able to cope with these types of things which happen day-to-day in life and I wonder whether we’ve lost the networks of support of people we can call on or talk to and the general empathy from our friends and colleagues.
The friends we make online and the connections we make digitally are failing and falling and helping us less and less in the times where we need connection and support more and more.
I had five years of immersing myself in social media and digital communication followed by 7 years now of staying as far away as I possibly can.
My life is richer and better and my support stronger and more caring than it ever was when I was admired in the digital cesspit.
Blog Post Number - 3007
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