Our Impersonal World

How impersonal can our world get? Think about this and all that has changed! It used to be when you drove into a gas station an attendant rushed out and started pumping your gas, cleaned your windshield, checked your oil, water and air and took your money (Note I said money, because you didn't pay with a gas card, because gas didn't cost an arm and a leg)with a smile on his face. Today you pump your own gas, in some states you pay for the air for your tires, clean your own windshield, check your own oil and if you don't pay at the pump you most likely pay a scowling attendant behind bulletproof glass (in some cases) that is just dying to tell you how much they hate their jobs. When you dial a professional office if you are lucky you get a human voice to talk to, otherwise you get a recording whose first response is dial 1 for English. Some of these automated answering systems get so complicated that by the time you get to where you were trying to get to you forgot what you wanted. Does the world really believe that this high tech garbage has lightened the load? Let's look at this in reality; most likely this aided the company in eliminating another position, but increased the load on another person whose task now is straightening out all that the automated system has messed up. Companies do not want employees anymore, they want virtual employees in the form of contractors. I thought that only computer systems were virtual in this world, but everything has become virtual. Virtual attendants, virtual receptionists, and now if you look on the job boards there are even virtual job fairs. What's next virtual relationships? You go to an online store and you order a contract for a wife and 2 kids for 20 years; at the end of twenty years you can either renew the contract or get a virtual divorce. Oh by the way the contracted wife must provide her own medical insurance for herself and children. I agree this is a bit far fetched, but think about it next time you hear about these crazy pre-nuptials. I pray that this world will get a grip soon and go back to a more personalized, friendly, value added place to live. Oh BTW, press 2 if you want this in another language.