I haven't talked to my family in months.
I'm what I call a "Type-B workaholic." Not a Type-A personality, as anyone who knows me would tell you, but I definitely put in the time at the keyboard. I've worked on embedded software for the International Space Station, and launch control software for missile interceptors.
For the last 11 years, I've worked in the in the PHP web development space. I'm currently a Professional Services consultant working with customers from Iowa to India, from Jackson Mississippi to Jakarta Indonesia. I spent much of last year onsite with those customers 2-3 weeks every month. I've defined myself, and my value, in terms of my contributions to my work and customers.
And I've neglected the relationships with my family members.
I've grown in so many ways - my wife says so, it must be true :-) - but she's the only one who has seen it. The people I spent my formative years with hardly know who I am.
They know who I used to be, and that colors the few (very few, like two or three) interactions we have in a given year. And they have changed, as well, but I'm stuck viewing them with a perspective formed from infrequent snapshots of their lives.
A cousin's husband passed away suddenly a few short weeks ago. Today my wife's 95 (96?!) year-old mother fell, broke her leg, and is in the hospital awaiting surgery first thing tomorrow morning. Prods one to action.
I need to stop thinking about what I should do, writing this post about what I should do, and simply DO what I should do. I'm taking the time to write this post in case you're in a similar position, and encouraging you to do what YOU should do.
And now to do it: I'm signing off, picking up the phone, and I'm going to have a CONVERSATION with my mom, whom I've not physically seen in over a year, in spite of the fact that I drive past the city in which she lives on my way to the airport.
Have a free guess
https://steemit.com/competition/@ph111p/competition-free-to-enter-win-usd100-equivilant-in-steem-guess-how-much-this-post-will-payout-at-the-next-payout
If you really want to open your eyes, try travelling to a different country that isn't so civilized. The actual human relationships that they have will probably make you cry. Civilization breeds slaves and psycho/sociopaths, or some combination thereof. Computers are a necessary evil to me because all of my friends are so stuck trying to pay for everything that they can't even be friends, so here I am on this damn machine trying to feel like I'm interacting with community. It's a shame.
Hi, @apocaloptimisto. Past and present work has given me the chance to travel to countries I would not have otherwise been to, most of them "developed," and not "developing," in the sense those words are typically used. The least "developed" had the most hospitable people I've ever encountered, people who at first seemed to go out of their way to make me feel welcomed, and safe. Then I realized they weren't going out of their way; that was normal, the way they treated everyone. I was the only one who noticed anything "above and beyond."
So, I agree with your comment about "the actual human relationships" they have, and that are still very possible in this world. Possible right here. What is required for a human relationship is two humans, whether they're interacting face-to-face, over the phone, or in the give-and-take on a social platform.
I gotta say: texting is mostly BS, though!
What matters is the quality of that interaction, which gets us to content, something you're pretty good at! In my opinion, on any social platform, you're participating in a "marketplace of ideas," regardless of any monetary value one might ascribe to those ideas.
That which is less valued now by the masses may become more valued over time, and that which is more valued now may eventually be viewed with disdain by those same masses who currently value it so highly.
Given the reality that a lot of people are here precisely "fo' de money," a voice such as yours is even more important to have in the mix. An even cursory look at your article history is evidence that you're one who persists in endeavors meaningful to you. So, I say to you: persist in sharing your ideas and projects.
The computer might be a "necessary evil" to you, but I think it is merely one vehicle of many for facilitating human relationships, and it's a tool which you can continue to use in a meaningful way.
A couple of posts by @lukestokes might be of interest:
The Steemit $$$ Challenge: Prove To Yourself Why You Are Here
Steemit Without $$$: The 24 Hour Challenge Follow Up
I wish you well, and I'm going to give more than a cursory look at your articles. The electric bike is an idea that has intrigued me before, and a Solar-Powered Mobile Machine Shop ?! Dude!
Thanks for sharing Clark. Your writing is excellent, so I look forward to your future posts, too.
This kind of expertise makes you a great fit for Steem. Your willingness to share makes you even better. Welcome onboard!
Very kind of you. Thanks!