The Pony Express was created on April 3, 1860. It was a remarkably fast way to send mail in those days. Yet, the Pony Express only lasted about 18 months, ending on October 26, 1861. What killed it? That damn technology called the transcontinental telegraph which connected the country.

We are living in an age where you can send massive amounts of information to another person in an instant. And you don’t have to leave home to do it. In some ways the advances in technology have made us lazy. Why pick up the phone and call someone when you can send them a text or email?

We have exited the Information Age and entered the next phase, the era of Artificial Intelligence. This period doesn’t have an official name yet, but it will. And I wonder what will be next.

Technology makes our lives more efficient. There are trade offs that come along with it. The thing we cannot lose is human connection. We need to be in community with each other. Mental health is the worst it’s been in my lifetime, and I suspect replacing people with technology plays a big part in that.

Get outside. Call someone for lunch or Happy Hour. Find a reason to laugh every day. Check on people you haven’t heard from in a while. They will benefit but so will you. Stay connected…