A surprising number of people approached me on the street regarding last month’s article about letting dogs be dogs. They appreciated what it had to say. Let’s talk about humans this time, shall we?
Since the emergence of the internet age, elocution has declined, and American humanity has veered away from the simple act of conversation. Most people avert their eyes in public on Metro and actively fail to acknowledge there are other humans in their vicinity. Bent down society is glued to their flat-thing (phone) at nearly all times.
Did you know that pedestrian deaths are at their highest in 40 years? This data is from the Governors Highway Safety Association. Multiple factors contributed to this increase, one being people’s lack of general spatial and situation awareness due to staring at Instagram, Tik Tok, etc., while walking and driving. Another is selfishness and plain old recklessness behind the wheel. We all see it. The roads haven’t changed, people have.
The internet and phones are an addiction with a multitude of consequences. Why bring this up in a veterinary column you ask? Dogs surely don’t have cell phones. At least not yet. It is because we are supposed to live in a society based upon communication and trust. When a client is in an exam room glued to their phone, they are not participating in the healthcare of their pet. It’s a dereliction of duty. Telling your partner to order two pounds of trout (true story) whilst the veterinarian is discussing the treatment of cancer is … I have no words. Scrolling Instagram or the like is the same degree of disrespect. Critical information is not obtained from either the veterinarian or the client. And the pet is the one that suffers the most in the end.
Yes, I am the weirdo that pays attention to the flight attendant leading the safety briefing while taxiing. Both ways. Why? Respect and self-preservation. Quite frankly, planes are different. Operating an over-wing exit on an Airbus is not quite the same as on a Boeing. Next time you fly, you will take notice.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a tale about leaving his house to get an envelope for a letter. His wife said that he can simply order a whole box and have it delivered. Countering her he discussed that by leaving the house, he would interact with people and essentially be human, living life. This is where we derive life skills, make friends, understand the world around us.
The lack of simple human interaction has led us down a path of not knowing how to be mature adults. Paying attention to the world around us allows one to hear birds, feel a breeze, see the oncoming car about to squash you and your dog.
In addition to avoiding certain death on the sidewalk, look no further than Google business reviews to assess how far humans have fallen from respecting and paying attention to each other. As a business owner I read all reviews that are posted. Many are awesome and thanking staff for their time, expertise and comion (BTW: the staff eat this stuff up). Some are positive suggestions to make the experience even better, but many are simply inaccurate and inappropriate rants. Words do matter. They can’t be ignored.
Because something is online, people have begun to assume that there are no consequences to their written actions. In that assumption they err, and greatly so, for those on the receiving end process inaccurate or even truthful negative comments very differently. Personally, that is. Words matter and affect people much deeper than expected, even leading to depression. Should a patron of a business have a concern, the appropriate method to address it would be a call to said proprietor, an email, or (aghast) a visit. Bringing everything to the internet for the world to see, especially if there was no attempt to reach out first, is part of what was discussed above: averting eyes. In words one must treat people as they wish to be treated themselves.
Yes, the interwebs provides humans with a method to express themselves, but it is a vacuum, shouting into the void. A posting does not allow dialogue, interaction with a human, or engagement. It’s a one-sided image with no interpretation, frequently posted by a person behind a screen name or avatar—unreachable, possibly anonymous. Some may even say using a screen name to be negative is an act of cowardice.
We have forgotten how to talk to people. We have forgotten how to be respectful and discuss praise or concern. Like cursive writing, dialogue appears to be a lost art. Paying attention to one’s surroundings, and other folks, has become foreign. Humans are developing neck lesions from staring downwards, neglecting the sky above, or the car directly in front.
Be nice to your fellow humans. Look up. Start there. A new world will emerge.
Dr. Teich is the medical director for District Veterinary Hospitals in Navy Yard, Eastern Market and Brookland. Visit www.districtvet.com for more information.
