Happiness Between The Spider and The Fly

SAD, BUT TRUE:
“In an age when everyone is ‘overworked, underpaid and trying to multitask,’ a phone call is likely to be an unwelcome interruption, so it should be avoided…”
—J. Whitmore.

Considering all the phone numbers, voicemails, e-mails, bulletin boards, and IMs my “friends” and I actively use, I quickly counted more than three dozen channels of communication:

Art of Happiness blog comments
Art of Living blog comments
Cell phone
Cell phone texting
Cell phone voicemail
Efax
Facebook chat
Facebook comments
Facebook mail
Flickr comments
Flickr mail
Flickr posting
Foursquare posting
Goodreads mail
Goodreads posting
Google Buzz posting
Google chat
Google e-mail (Gmail)
Google phone
Google SMS texting
Google video chat
Home phone
Home phone voicemail
Hotmail e-mail
In person
LinkedIn mail
LinkedIn posting
My website e-mail
Scribd posting
Snailmail home
Snailmail work
Twitter posting
Work e-mail
Work Fax
Work instant messaging
Work phone
Work voicemail
YouTube posting

Today’s ever-expanding web of communication and networking is both an entrapping bane that raises the bar of expectations and diminishes our ability to be patient, to focus, and engage people in a meaningful manner that nurtures intimacy and relationships—as well as an opportunity to inspire and influence others.

Happiness lies in the balance between being the gregarious spider and autonomous fly.


Don’t call me, I’ll text you, april 29, 2011, amNewYork