Reclaiming Real Connection
“It takes a village” is a phrase that we have heard throughout our lives. Our mothers said it when exchanging babysitting favors. Our neighbors said it when asking for a cup of sugar. Our grandparents said it when volunteering at the community church. In this day and age, Gen Z is lacking a personal village. With the rise of easily accessible technology, we see favors as an annoyance to the giver, rather than valuable time spent together. For example, very few college students would ask their friends for rides to the airport, and would instead order an Uber with the click of a few buttons.
Although we are more connected than ever before via social media, the personal connection is what is lacking. We know less about others, and more about the version of themself they share online. Our friendships become limited to likes on Instagram, and spending time together is methodically planned because of our ever-changing and busy lives.
To make matters worse, capitalistic grind culture is destroying genuine connection. The idea of “grind culture” is essentially that you must work your hardest nonstop to have a path to success, and many young adults are falling into this trap. In doing so, we assume everyone is exhausted and busy, and that they would rather be doing something else than spending quality time within our natural flow of life.
It’s difficult to find time for people, but incorporating connection into our daily lives has never been so important in an isolating digital age. With the college demographic, spending time with friends can be as simple as inviting someone to the gym with you. Or even just to go to the library and study together, the keyword being together.
Technology is a tool for making our lives easier, but the inconvenience is the price you pay for a village. Talk to people. Go outside. Meet your neighbors. Drive your friends to the airport. When we make time for the important people in our lives, we are creating our own villages once again. We take our roommates grocery shopping with us instead of downloading Instacart. We listen deeply when hearing stories from others' lives. In a culture that thrives on efficacy, community allows us to slow down and recharge.
Cover photo link/credit- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34410384648966308/
Mia Lange is a first-year student majoring in public relations and minoring in sociology. She enjoys hiking, reading, and pickleball.