Jan 11th, 2024: Missing Normalcy

The characteristics of many downtown quadrants in big urban centers have changed because many office workers no longer need to go to the office. They call it 'going hybrid.' Some people love the fact that they don't have to fight traffic on the way to work and on the way home. Others feel like something is missing as they yearn for the human interaction and camaraderie of the office.

Some young female workers told me that they miss the chance to dress up for work. They also miss the office gossip. We know that it is all about human face-to-face interaction. Zoom meetings have their place, but after thirty minutes on Zoom, many are ready to log off. They are actually more tiring than regular meetings.

It is also healthy to have the opportunity to greet each other normally. It is too bad that some kind and caring gestures are no longer considered cool to express. We have become fearful and robotically programmed in how we talk and express ourselves. I recently listened to a university professor who ranted for 15 minutes, and I had no idea what he was talking about. All I heard were political correctness jargon.

I wish that I could give a person a hug if I think he (or she) needs one and not have to worry about what others think or the consequences of it. Life is too short to not know what a hug feels like.

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” - Micah 6:8