Yes, I miss them. A lot. Times when I was writing while lying on my bed with a notebook and pen, creating words on the paper and not by typing and making them appear on a screen. I miss times when you actually had some time to sleep, stop and think twice what to do and how to do it in a better way. When something you managed to create or write lasted for more than several hours or a day before becoming an old and unnecessary string of words. But above all, I miss times when people actually cared about other people. At least I’m fortunate enough to have certain number of years that permit me to remember those days.
I watched an episode of an old Serbian TV series tonight, “The Policeman from Petlovo Brdo”. There is this moment when the police inspector is threatened by his superior that his absences due to the needs of his 5 kids would not be tolerated any more and that if he continued to “behave” that way that he would either loose his job, or had to go back to work on the streets again for much lower salary which wouldn’t permit him to sustain the needs of his large family. He turns to one of his ex-wives, successful manager in a big company to help him find a job and she asks him:
– Well… anyhow what kind of job are you actually able to do? Are you good with computers?
– No, he replies. I’m good with people.
– Well, in that case nothing, there is no need for people like you any more.
This was 24 years ago. In Serbia, country that was by no means as technologically advanced as the rest of the world at that moment.
Today, 24 years later I found some completely undefined job that absolutely requires the use of computers. I have no idea how long I will have this job because jobs in Serbia last much much shorter than people, but I’m not really sure that when it finishes that I’ll regret it. 24 years ago you had to be good with computers, but people’s feelings still counted. Today, you can’t avoid computers any more, but people don’t speak among themselves. They all stare at their own computer, lost in their own world, totally disregarding those around them. When they make a pause to eat, nothing changes. They go to the “dining room” and eat together in silence, staring at their smartphones or tablets. When the time comes to go home, they walk in a crowd in the same direction without speaking to each other. At most you can get one dull, mechanical hello from them during the first and last daily encounter. The worst thing is that they don’t care about themselves either, about tomorrow, about consequences of their actions. The only thing they care about is the paycheck day. And some of them are only 24 years old.
Oh yes, I miss the old days so much.
Thinking Diaries 
I miss the old days too, you’re not alone Tanja.
Glad you found a job and you’re right on the whole computers taking over modern day society, for the most part. I feel that it’s not always like this though, ’cause there are people with whom we can interact with face-to-face, if we just try and/or look hard enough.
Just some thoughts and hugs to you dear.
Thank you so much for your comment, it certainly helps me feel less alone. This job is not something that can last and it drain tons of energy out of me, but at least it provides some security for the time being. Yes, there must be such people and all hope can’t be gone, maybe I’ve simply run out of good luck and can’t run into them. However, there has been one event in the meantime that brought back a little bit of that so-called faith in humanity – if I manage to find some time I’ll write about it. Thanks a lot again and all the best from me to you!!!
Would love to hear or read about your encounter which renewed your “faith in humanity”. 🙂 Anytime, mi fa sempre piacere sentirti, tvb, baci e abbracci cara