I have been watching the Pixar film, Wall-e. Every time I rewatch it, I find something new or see a different meaning that never occurred to me before. Seeing the love blossom between Wall-e and Eve always puts me in a state of awe. It is one of the greatest depictions of the special bond that we, as human beings, share with one other.
We have so many mechanical devices now that revolve around ways of sending messages or photos to our friends- and with the internet and its many community oriented features (such as youtube and myspace) there really is no limit to how we communicate with each other. Even so, I cannot help feeling that the more we use these new gadgets to talk, the more distant we become. I have recently discovered text messaging on my phone and often send messages to my friends when I have a random thought or have a question for them. It is convenient but does not come close to that same feeling of connection that I feel when I am talking with someone in person. Before text messaging, I had trouble using a phone (and still do) because you lose so many visual cues when talking on a phone. The human voice seems inadequate for expressing feelings and ideas when entirely by itself. The way you move your body, your facial expressions, how your hold your hands... even the atmosphere of the room you happen to be sitting in- all these elements are apart of the experience of talking with someone. And they are all absent in the text message or phone conversation.
Wall-e also reminds me of something else I have always valued but never gave much thought to before- holding hands with someone. The last person I regularely held hands with passed away years ago, and I miss it. We do not always need the big finales of sex or rough housing to be close to someone. Just being able to be with someone, hold hands with them, and share that moment with them... that is everything.
