As you may have heard, our shopping visits to Marks and Spencer's may soon be shortened. A system is currently being tested whereby you can pay your bill through an app called 'Mobile, Pay, Go'.The outcome?
You can then walk away with your goods without any need for going to a till. No queuing, no waiting . . . and you'll be out of the store much more quickly.
Forgive me if I'm a little uneasy about what seems, on the face of it it, to be an excellent idea.
But, just think about it for a moment . . . is it always good to do away with human contact?It seems a little ironic that this news was released the same week as we learned of the growing problem of loneliness.
Did you know that dance lessons for the lonely are about to be offered on the NHS?
When queuing to pay your bill in the Food Hall you're in contact, and sometimes in conversation, with others in the queue. The person at the till is often familiar to you . . . you smile and exchange comments.
There is nothing profound in this inter-change, but it is genuine, eye-to-eye human contact . . . something that is fast going out of fashion.
Tell me, when you are waiting for a bus, do you ever fall into conversation with others at the bus stop?I find this an increasingly rare occurrence, those waiting are either preoccupied or concentrating on their smart phones.
When you walk along the pavement, do you ever make eye contact and smile at those who pass?
Again, and for the same reasons, this happens all too infrequently.
We make contact with those we know, with those who agree with us, with those who share our feelings. Casual encounters are becoming increasingly rare as social media segregates and classifies.
But, as I'm sure you'd agree, the written word on its own can easily be misinterpreted, and often lacks subtlety.What about a loving tone of voice, a kindly smile, a reassuring hug?
None of which are available on Twitter.
Nonetheless, our reliance on social media is increasing. Did you know that many youth clubs have closed down?
Young people, it seems, feel more secure online. They are happier communicating with those they know, than encountering strangers face to face.
The upshot of all this? We are becoming a more and more wary and divided society. Hate crimes are on the increase, mistrust is growing and a a recognition of our shared humanity is being pushed to one side.
The other morning, on 'Thought For The Day'. Rabbi Sacks spoke movingly on the subject of diversity and group conflict.
"We are," he said, "enlarged by our differences. We need a strong, inclusive, national identity. We need to become a bigger us."
So, let's become 'a bigger us'.
An 'us' who goes out of our way to encounter others
. . . an 'us' who is constantly on the lookout for the myriad factors we hold in common, not for what divides us.
Let's reject the new app. As part of the queue in the Food Hall, we can then chat and discuss our wares with our fellow shoppers.
After all, what could be more unifying than a delicious lemon cake . . . something that can usually be spotted in my shopping basket!
