From Paul Harrington, SVP, Creative Director, Palio
Perchance your nostrils have encountered an unfamiliar sensation. An extraordinary aromatic, with complex layers of fragrant depth and texture. Sweet, spicy, sensual. What, what in the name of all that is holy, can it be?
It’s called a rose, my friend. And you should put down your damn smartphone, PDA, tablet, laptop, MP3 player, game, e-reader, remote or joystick and smell it. Shove your technology-loving face down into the crimson folds of that sucker and breathe in its luscious musk.
Rose, meet my friend who spends too much time in a virtual world of manmade jabberwocky. Friend, meet rose.
OK, you get it now: stop and smell the roses. Ha-ha. (Insert other snarky comment here.) And you’re about to click that “x” up in the corner of this window and surf to another digital distraction. But give me another 60 roboto-seconds of your precious time and hearken to my words.
The end is near.
The end of that which makes us human: the real world of life, love, sound and sense. We’re jacking into cyberspace and leaving reality behind. The interweb/webernet has become a surrogate for human experience. Ugh.
For the technophiles here in the office, this opinion will be about as popular as a tuna fish sandwich on a cramped commuter plane. I may be ridiculed on Facebook or tweeted as an old fool. Maybe so.
Look, I get it. I too love my cybervices; I’m as technomantic as the next fella, maybe more so. (And the irony that you’re reading this complaint online is not lost on me.) These equipment advances are incredibly useful and make access to information instantaneous. The world IS a better place for technology, and I applaud it. Huzzah! But we’ve got to remember to pause every once in a blue moon and “interface” with the real world and people around us.
My plea has relevance to the workplace, and hence its appearance here on this blog. In meetings and appointments, both in and out of the office, I see the eyes and attention of so many faces focused on the screens of their Blackberries, Droids, iPhones, iPads and laptops, and not on the person speaking to them. I see people surreptitiously sneaking peeks at their devices, texting to maintain a connection with someone thousands of miles away –– all to the detriment of the person sitting right across the table from them. In the name of service to our accounts and business, we try to have one eye on the ball, and the other on the cursor. I say again: ugh.
As the Supremes once sang, “Stop in the name of love.” Put down the device, raise your hands in the air and step away from the technology. And no one gets hurt.
Pause to speak with a colleague using your – gasp! – vocal chords. Stop and write a note to a client on a piece of paper and mail it (using an ancient credit system called “a stamp”). Slow down, sit on the steps and watch a leaf tumble past, propelled by a gust of wind. And take a moment to smell and savor a rose as its petals begin to curl against the impending winter. It’s not too late.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.
