Reshuffling the deck

Are the nuances too hard to wade through?

I traveled home from Montana last week.

Two back-to-back plane rides after a long week of learning (how lucky am I honestly?)

I sat back and closed my eyes, listening to the distinct sound of cards shuffling in the row behind me.

Shuck shuck shuck.

A picture swam in my mind, familiar. Comforting even.

As kids my brothers and I loved playing cards. My mom, the unofficial poker aficionado, taught us a few easy games pretty early on.

We’d sit around, betting with coins or using chips.

My brother, the youngest then at maybe 5 or 6 always chose “7 card no peek.”

We played a lot of games growing up.

We made up, rehearsed and put on elaborate shows

made home movies and

Because, what else was there to do?

So many memories of family vacations around the table of a beach rental, playing cards that were sticking to the sticky, salty table.

Gritty with the day’s lingering sand and sunscreen.

I look around sometimes at family gatherings these days, my teenage nieces and nephews often glued to their phones.

I don’t aim to criticize, as judgement doesn’t suit me much. Just to wonder where it all goes next? How do humans evolve through this?

People love to point out the fact that tech is here to stay and “we better adapt.”

Ok. I can’t disagree.

But who is talking about how we are adapting?

What it will look like?

Whether it will actually be progress for humans?

And what to do about the fact that it’s clear that we already know that in some ways, it’s definitely not?

I don’t pretend to know the answers.

Honestly, it feels like a brave thing to put out there because it seems like there are few people that are willing to engage in this conversation these days bc it feels too far gone. Or maybe because no one is willing to juggle the nuances.

It’s easier to say, well we’ve gone and done it and it can’t be undone.

But is that true?

I’d love your (regulated) thoughts.

Especially if you are parent to a kid between the ages of 12-20 right now.