It sounded like someone playing the bagpipes on a cat. Out of tune and out of time. Discordant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked up the definition of \u201cdiscordant.\u201d It said sounds that are \u201charsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony. Ie., playing the bagpipes on a cat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The melodious mess emanating from my computer speakers took place on Christmas Eve. Across Zoom. A family stretched through three states \u2013 Florida, Virginia and New York \u2013 all gathering together to sing \u2013 for the sake of the story, we shall call it \u201csinging\u201d \u2013 Christmas carols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even without the coronavirus, many wouldn\u2019t be together on Christmas thanks to the distance or the cost or other familial commitments. But now, here they were, joining one another for songs likes \u201cRudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer\u201d and \u201cJingle Bells.\u201d Butchering them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if not in key, definitely in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you, 2020. This year, you taught us that technology could finally live up to its promise of bringing us closer together. That it could be useful and essential, not just cool, gimmicky and an escape. Most of the time we think of tech as transporting us away \u2013 in revolutionary video games, in the promise of perfect pictures through ever-thinner TV screens, in isolating wireless earphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But finally the wiz-bang razzle-dazzle of \u201cgotta\u2019 have it because it\u2019s new and expensive and hard-to-get\u201d gave way to \u201cgotta\u2019 have it because I need to feel connected and less alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we all needed that this past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It happened in all sorts of ways this Christmas. We watched \u201cThe Muppet Christmas Carol\u201d with my dad and his ex-wife (explain that one to me!) in Tampa and my sister in Chicago with her boyfriend, all while texting back and forth to debate which song was the best. A new Christmas tradition was born. We FaceTimed family to watch as their presents were opened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video calls by cell phone weren\u2019t new, but they had never seemed so necessary. So imperative. So desperately needed. For my sister-in-law in Virginia, I became a robot video stand, marching her about a wrapping paper-strewn living room so she could check in on her niece and nephew, and harass her mother about something I didn\u2019t need to hear. Any other year I would have abhorred the idea, and probably plopped her in a plant. But this \u201cvirtual reality\u201d seemed more vital. More real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And on Christmas Eve night, my wife, daughter and I sat comfortably on the sofa while watching our church service on a big screen TV. As the choir lit candles while singing \u201cSilent Night,\u201d we stood and pretended to pass the light from one another on digital candles. What should have seemed ridiculous and fake felt sentimental and heartfelt. Normal even. I can\u2019t remember all the times I sat in the pews of Memorial Presbyterian on Christmas Eve passing the flame from candle to candle. But I know I\u2019ll never forget this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I rubbed a tear from my eye as Pastor Hunter Camp talked about the need for community \u2013 that it was the thing we were all missing more than anything this year. That it was what was most important. Finding it. Keeping it. Spreading it to others. Boy, did he nail that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Sir Technology, you nailed one, too. Took you long enough. You were so stuck on your gimmicks and pixels and wireless technology hooked up to our socks. But now you actually saw a critical need and filled it. You saw people struggling and needing to bond. Needing to feel something, just not alone. And you brought them together. We thank you for that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, for your next trick, how about an army of technology elves fanning out across the globe to help people do it better. Because I don\u2019t ever want to witness my mother-in-law trying to explain to her sister in an assisted living facility in Virginia how to un-press the mute button on her phone. Oh, and if you can do something in video chat software to autotune the Christmas carolers. No fiber optic cable should ever carry the screeches of the bagpipe on a cat again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It sounded like someone playing the bagpipes on a cat. Out of tune and out of time. Discordant. <\/p>\n
I looked up the definition of \u201cdiscordant.\u201d It said sounds that are \u201charsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony. Ie., playing the bagpipes on a cat.\u201d <\/p>\n
The melodious mess emanating from my computer speakers took place on Christmas Eve. Across Zoom. A family stretched through three states \u2013 Florida, Virginia and New York \u2013 all gathering together to sing \u2013 for the sake of the story, we shall call it \u201csinging\u201d \u2013 Christmas carols. <\/p>\n
Even without the coronavirus, many wouldn\u2019t be together on Christmas thanks to the distance or the cost or other familial commitments. But now, here they were, joining one another for songs likes \u201cRudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer\u201d and \u201cJingle Bells.\u201d Butchering them.<\/p>\n
But if not in key, definitely in unison. <\/p>\n
Thank you, 2020. This year, you taught us that technology could finally live up to its promise of bringing us closer together. That it could be useful and essential, not just cool, gimmicky and an escape. Most of the time we think of tech as transporting us away \u2013 in revolutionary video games, in the promise of perfect pictures through ever-thinner TV screens, in isolating wireless earphones. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[576,577,561,556,559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2020-nutshells","category-coronavirus","category-family","category-holidays","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2181"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2182,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions\/2182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}