Last night I watched some videos from the "Kids React" series, which is a great way to see what people are thinking. Kids are getting their ideas from others and recombining them in their brains just like I am, they're just more up front about it and say it in simpler words.
One thing that struck me was this move towards individualism. In the video about rotary phones, when it was revealed you couldn't text with them, one kid asked "What would you do in an emergency?" The answer is the same as the answer to why we need a lot of conveniences of today; you'd ask a stranger for help. In fact, I'd say our reliance on texting in emergencies breaks down a bit of the fabric of our society helping each other.
I hope that that's not true though. I was struck a few weeks ago when heavy snow hit Kitchener by the way in which people started pitching in and helping each other out. The common enemy of winter really brings people together, even more so when our lives are in danger on the road or the snow is a huge inconvenience. Working in downtown Kitchener was a great place to witness this.
This morning I read an article in the Walrus, "Happy Returns", that talks about the neoliberalism of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Brian Mulroney. The idea was that big government was bad, and that cutting taxes would be more efficient. This is a great quotation from the article:
Tell people that government is evil for long enough, that it is wasteful and inefficient and obstructs our fredoms, and eventually they will believe you so thoroughly that it will impinge on the ability of you or anybody else to govern
This has an awful marriage with the idea that you text or call your family & friends in emergencies only. If cell phones weren't available, we would have this social fabric to rely on. I believe that the social fabric will still be there to be discovered, but how many misunderstandings could end in tragedy? Maybe a child isn't willing to ask for help from a stranger, for instance, and is needlessly hurt. Or a stranger offers help and is sued into oblivion.
My worry about this issue is prompted by the video and the article, but tempered by the helping nature I witnessed in Kitchener during the extreme winter weather. People drive more slowly. People shovel sidewalks or help others get through snowbanks. But even above all that, people acknowledge each other more and smile more. It would be nice if that was every day, but realistically, I'm happy it happens when it needs to happen.
But even though we have that helping nature to fall back on, I still reject the idea of stranger danger. I reject the idea of cell phones (in principle only; I'm still attached to mine at the hip). I reject the idea that we NEED to have the ability to help ourselves at all times.
As a final note, another thing colouring my view in this argument is God. I believe I'll never control every aspect of my life, and I also believe I shouldn't. I rather put faith that God is there as my call in an emergency. The practice of that shapes my thinking; I am more willing than I used to be to ask others for help. It's humbling. That's the goal.