In Wonderland, the Duchess annoys Alice by finding morals in everything: “And the moral of that is…”
While the idea of moralizing may sound stuffy and old-fashioned, I think we should all find morals in our own life. But in this digital age, who has time to look for morals? Besides, most people I see out there are too absorbed in their smartphones and the latest apps to bother.
Of course, Lewis Carroll was making fun of the moralistic tone of children’s literature in his time. But he also believed that “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it,” which the Duchess says to Alice.
So it occurred to me that this is a good time to bring back “the moral of that is…” After all, morals are perfect for tweets – short, pithy sayings that point up some lesson to be taken from a story, current event, or life experience.
For instance, here’s a modern trend that we could use a moral for: Too many people seem lost in their smartphones and other mobile devices.
But there must be a way to remind ourselves to look around and connect with real people. There must be something to alert us that our devices don’t need to fill every need and occupy our every free moment. There must be a start of a new consciousness in which we just talk and listen to each other more.
There must be an app for that.
And I’m sure the Duchess will give us the moral as soon as she learns to tweet.