We seem to have lost the ability to comprehend, to reason, to infer, to extrapolate, to synthesize, and to contextualize just about anything other than maybe song lyrics, and even then it’s iffy.

By comprehending, I don’t just mean understanding. I mean interpreting things like tone, which is essential for grasping meaning(s). We’ve lost that, too.

We’re taking personally that which is not personal and not taking personally that which personally affects us. Instead, we deflect, defend, deny, derail, dismiss, disparage, detonate. I’m tired of that pattern. We’re giving birth to mistuned responses in the driverless car that passes for communication.

We’re reading and listening too fast or not at all, at once too little and too much, leaning into things like AI to do our work for us, even when we aren’t using it actively and may not be aware of how it’s shaping our communications and changing our brains (and in turn our minds).

We’re tired and angry and sloppy in our reading, writing, and responses. I don’t mean some we that’s far away or out there or that doesn’t include poets. I mean all of us. The past 24 hours on Facebook have been unbearable for me. I’ve tried to talk about two issues that are significant. It’s clear from many of the responses I received that Facebook isn’t the place to say anything that matters.

So why am I there? Why are any of us there? Maybe it’s time to not be there, at least not in any significant way, whatever significant means these days. I’m afraid it doesn’t mean much.