There was a time when families gathered around a radio like it was a fire.
It was the centre of attention and a moment of stillness as everyone listened.
It was ashared experience.
Then came the boom box. Blaring sound strapped to your shoulder. It was inherently social, too. However, some might not have wanted to have listened to what was blaring out from it.
The Walkman - music piped directly into your ears. An individual experience, but one that was fun to share with another person.
Today, the fire lives inside our pockets. Soon, it might live inside our skin.
We're living in an extraordinary time. Technology is closer, faster, and more powerful than ever. And it will change us.
Sidenote: I have been saying that all the big technology things happened during my granddad's lifetime. Now it just seems to be tweaking what we have, not inventing new things.
But in all this speed and convenience, it's worth asking:
What are we trading away?
We've gained connectivity but lost attention.
Gained stimulation but lost stillness.
Gained personalisation but lost shared presence.
The fireplace, literal or metaphorical, isn't just warmth.
It's where stories are told.
Where silence is shared.
Where peoplesee each other.
You don't need to reject technology. But you may need to relight the fire.
Gather.
Be still.
Make space for presence.
Before what's lost becomes unrecoverable.
It's a bit heavy for a Monday, maybe. But food for thought.