Why Self-SERVICE is Really SELF-service

I’ve been lamenting the “old” way of doing things.

I miss having an actual librarian check out my books at our local library instead of an automated scanner system.

I miss making small talk wiht the cashier as he or she rang up and bagged my groceries. Now grocery and even many discount stores have self-checkout lanes where you scan and bag your own items, all the while directed by a robotic female voice blaring from the gizmo’s speaker.

I pump my gas without so much as saying a single word to another human being. Unless, that is, the pump malfunctions and a real person comes on the intercom after I push the help button or I walk into the building to ask for assistance.

I miss that feeling of community, of belonging to something bigger and greater than myself.

There’s more I miss as well.

Read more in my latest post for National Catholic Register. Then, tell me your thoughts in this topic.