I have been doing some thinking lately and this was crystallized by a conversation I had with a church associate today. Some of you are probably thinking that doing some thinking could be dangerous for Papa Hardy. Back in the old days, before there were cars as my kids would say, there used to be a lot more association between people. This still happens by and large in other areas of the world. However, in the good ole USA things have changed.

When I was a kid, the neighbor kids got together and played with each other and no one really organized anything. We knew who all of our neighbors were and we had a lot of neighborhood activities. I think Mormons have been a bit different because we have always had �organized� group activities in our �Wards� and �Stakes�. However, we did lots of things with our neighbors and we knew who they were.

Things are different now, and I think there are two major reasons why. We tend to hide behind our doors, not getting to know who are neighbors are and we don�t associate a lot with them. For our family, this was particularly the case in Cheyenne. While we knew a few of our neighbors, it tended to be only the neighbors that had kids that our children were friends with. They had no block parties, they didn�t get together. It is better for us here in Payson, but even here people tend to hide behind their walls.

The first is we are a much more mobile society. We have lots of cars, sometimes three to four per family (a three car garage is now almost a requirement). When I was a kid, because of the lack of cars, if you had a garage you were considered well off. We have activities outside of the home. We eat out a lot. Our kids, who used to play independently of organized activities, almost always are part of an organized sport or activity. In fact, I notice less and less creativity in neighborhood children in coming up with things to do. Children always want to know what the parents are going to do for them. We never had the organized sports and other activities that children have today, to this extent.

I think even more than the fact that we are mobile is the computer revolution. It is much easier to email our friends, our associates, than it is to get on the phone and talk to them. How many times at work have we emailed an associate who was no more than 10 feet away. We don�t get hurt if we email, and it is easier to hide behind an instant messenger and therefore always say the right thing. I am concerned that we have become a detached society, unable to relate to each other on a personal basis. Should we burn the computers and all start walking more?