Bucks Montgomery Physician Spring 2021 - 5

The outpouring of support from family and friends,
especially over social media, has been amazing. And this
led me down another rabbit hole, one my wife and I
have been struggling with since before COVID, but one
that has been made worse by the isolation the virus has
brought: electronic devices. This is a bit of a tougher nut
to crack, but I'm going to give it a try. Bear with me.
The internet, in all its glory, has been both a blessing and
a curse. The ability to instantaneously share information
around the globe has both helped us fight the virus (its
genome was published online once fully sequenced for
scientists around the world to use) and exacerbated the
loneliness so many of us feel. Beyond that, there's the
debate about schools, and what a retreat behind screens
is doing to our kids. I've witnessed this firsthand, as
my 13-year-old now spends his days holed up in his
room, both doing virtual school and electronically
interacting with his friends. He emerges to use the
bathroom, for mealtimes, and little else. I don't need
to be a pediatrician to know that this isn't good for
one's development. Yet when mentioned publicly, the
debate over how-and-when to safely reopen schools
and resume childhood activities often descends into
political warfare. I'm not going to rehash the various
sides of the arguments here, but I will say that onceupon-a-time, the conversation would've been more civil.
So, what's happened to comity, and the general notion
of politeness? Why do we suddenly seem so angry?
I think the rise of social media has something to do
with it. As an admitted Facebook junkie, I often find
myself glued to the screen when I should be doing more
important things. Even my two youngest, ages 2 and 4,
have become addicted. It's worse than chocolate. And
that brings us to the next question: what to do about it.
Here's a thought - let's shut down the screens, even
if just for a few hours each day. While that may be
a tall order when one is cooped up inside during
the winter, with the approach of spring, alternatives
abound. Personally, I find when I log off social
media, I get a lot more done. I'm often reminded
of a popular meme from a few years back. It goes
something like this: " I played outside with my
friends, stayed out until dark, drank from the hose,
rolled around in dirt, fell off my bike, and I turned
out just fine. I was a kid in the 80s. " Yes, I did all
those things, and I think I turned out 'just fine.'

It's hard to define, but part of what I'm trying to say is that
modern life often moves too fast (or at least feels like it does).
When I was a kid, my maternal grandfather used to tell me
to slow down, or else I wouldn't have any energy when I was
older. That's physiologically incorrect, but as I approach my
45th year on this third rock from the sun, I finally understand
what he meant. It's important to take the time to enjoy the
simple things. Our existence has become so complicated on
so many levels that it's easy to forget to live in the moment.
Sometimes, old ways are the best ways. It's a lesson that, like
my Bubby's recipe for kougel, latkes and brisket that she'd
passed on to my now-late mother, risks fading away into distant
memory. It's not a 'left vs right' or 'red vs blue' thing, it just is.
I'm hoping to rediscover that. Please join me, and together,
maybe we can begin to heal. A new year beckons.
Warm regards,
Jay Rothkopf, MD

BUCKS AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES

Bucks Montgomery Physician Spring 2021

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