Okay, so I was pretty much going to flake out (again!!) this week on the Heart-Centered Tech Tips. Because this is basically the Worst. Tuesday. Ever. I won’t go into details on my particular personal drama except to say that I’m just swimming (drowning) in a black lake of fear, grief, loneliness and general hopelessness.
And writing a perky tech tip just seemed so completely pointless in that context, you know? Right now, if I papered over my pain and told you that keyboard shortcuts could change your life, or pasted on a fake grin and did a cheerleading routine for Firefox, it would increase my blog post total by one, but it wouldn’t be a heart-centered act.
Here’s the thing: Being heart-centered isn’t always sweetness and light. Staying centered in a heart that is broken, squashed, or ripped to smithereens — there’s a challenge. I have yet to see the keyboard shortcut that can fix that problem.
So here’s what I’m doing. I’m connecting with you. Yes, you. You’re out there in your RSS readers and inboxes and surfing the web, and I’m making an emotional connection with you, even though I can’t see you, hear you, or touch you. If you’re still reading, let me just say that I’m so incredibly grateful for each of you.
Technology makes this connection possible, but the connection is not about technology. It’s about the fact that you and I are both humans, capable of feeling joy, connection, and, yes, pain. (Sorry, spambots and search-engine robots; you’re not part of this particular web).
This web of connection is why blogs work. Blogs aren’t about the whizbang plugins or the spiffy search-engine optimization (though these can certainly enhance the interaction). Blogs are about connecting readers, posters, and commenters. The web of connection is why Twitter works. Twitter connects people in near-real-time, allowing spontaneous conversations between people thousands of miles apart.
So today, I’m not asking for your business, or for a donation, or for a referral, or for a testimonial. I’m asking you to take a moment and feel this connection between you and me. You don’t have to do anything to make it real, or cement it, or commemorate it; it exists right now as surely as you’re reading this. Acknowledging that connection may seem simple, but it’s profound. And trust that I’m feeling it too; that even in the depths of my despair I can sense that web of connection out there, in here.
Just feel it with me for a moment. Can you? I can. I do.
To take the web a step further, consider extending a new connection to someone else, online or off. Follow someone new on Twitter (or sign up for a Twitter account), write a new blog post, comment on someone else’s blog, friend someone on Facebook.
This week’s heart of the matter: How can you let (not make!) technology connect you with someone today? Even if that technology is an old friend like the phone? Even if it’s writing a letter? Or sending a text message? A little smiley face can go a long way.
Until next week!
Related posts:
- How to upgrade anything, part 6 of 6 (Heart-Centered Technology Tip)
- How to upgrade anything, part 4 of 6 (Heart-Centered Technology Tip)
- How to upgrade anything, part 2 of 6 (Heart-Centered Technology Tip)
- How to upgrade anything, part 3 of 6 (Heart-Centered Technology Tip)
- Practice Gratitude (Heart-Centered Technology Tip #15)
Posted by Wendy Cholbi, your friendly neighborhood swim-goggle-wearing technology-to-English translator
Hi Mynde,
Great post and so true. What we all want and need more than anything is to feel that heart connection with each other and all the whiz bang techno gizmos in the world won’t make that happen. I appreciate your vulnerability and your efforts to make the blogging world a much more heart friendly place!
chris Zydel’s last blog post..PAIN FREE CREATIVITY: YOU DON’T REALLY NEED TO SUFFER FOR YOUR ART
Mynde, thank you for being real and vulnerable and opening your heart. That’s what makes for real connection. And real connection is what makes our world warm and loving and worth waking up to.
Sending you warm hugs and blessings and much empathy for what you’re going through.
Hiro Boga’s last blog post..Happy Thanksgiving, Baby
Hi Chris & Hiro,
D
Thanks for giving me credit, but the post was written by my wonderful biz partner Wendy
I agree with you. Her vulnerability in this post is off the charts… making it impossible for me not to feel her heart and her desire to build something authentic and real with each person who takes the time to hang out with us on our blog.
Makes me think about what’s possible in 2000-SHINE!
Wendy, very well said. You’re so right, feeling a connection on an emotional level is a big part of what makes social media work. I know you and Mynde are gonna take YWC to a whole new level in 2009.
“Technology makes this connection possible, but the connection is not about technology.”
One of the distinguishing features of Web2.0 is that it’s focused not on the content or the code, but on the connections it allows to happen. Remember back when you couldn’t comment on websites? I can, and now I think “Wow – why would I feel connected to a this because it’s a one way connection. They are talking to me, but I can’t talk to them.” That’s not connecting; it’s talking past each other.
I also think that embracing the human connection is what separates those people who “get” the intert00bs today and those who don’t. It’s not about the tubes and information; it’s about the connection.
Today I almost recorded my second song (ever) for a friend I’ve never physically seen and who I’ve only connected with through the tubes (and airwaves). She’s going through a rough patch right now and my heart is with her in ways that defy what many people understand about “online” connections. Technology has connected us through space and time – and I cherish that it has enabled me to connect with such awesome people that I never would have before.
I’m sick and my voice failed me today – not to mentioned that I chickened out in the end. I’m sorry you didn’t get your song, but my heart is with you.
Charlie’s last blog post..How to Get Started by Asking Questions