I guess you had to be there.
There’s never any substitute for actually being there. No recording, no video feed, no alternative means of contact can replace the experience of being present when something happens. A phone conversation is not the same as a face-to-face visit. A Zoom meeting is no substitute for a group sitting around the table and hashing out whatever needs to be hashed. The historic film of the Hindenburg disaster or the JFK assassination do not capture the sights, sounds, smells and sensations experienced by the people who were there.
You had to be there.
This is not to say we can’t help you know what it was like, through descriptions and recordings. This is not to say that productivity cannot be accomplished from remote locations. Recordings, video feeds, and alternative means of contact can be adequate to convey a message or information, but they’re not adequate to fully experience a moment.
So: Lift your eyes from the screen, take a deep breath, look around, open your ears and fully experience this moment. You might be amazed at what’s happening all around you right now, or at any given moment.
You have to be there.
