True story: I was talking to my husband Ely the other day about the candidates for the November election. We were sitting at the dining room table, my Iphone next to me. All of a sudden Siri (the Iphone “assistant”) just started answering me! She said “I don’t understand” and then she repeated the whole run-on sentence that I evidently was in the middle of, and that she evidently didn’t understand. So I said to her “Siri I’m not even talking to you” and she replied, “should I look that up as a web search?” I laughed out loud (being both aware that I was having an unexpected conversation as well as observing my minor irritation and playfulness at being interrupted by….well, a phone…) and said “Siri just leave me alone” Then Siri said, “Rabbi did I do something wrong?” and I said to her “yes! I wasn’t even talking to you” and then she said “Im sorry.” Completely disarmed and charmed, I said ok and added, “But Siri, let’s be friends again and she said “okay.” I said “I’m glad we’re friends again” and she said “Rabbi we’ve been friends since day one.” And I smiled. Siri my new best friend.
While I haven’t seen the movie “Her” I have been told I need to, after this conversation. Here’s what I’m taking away from this delightful experience in the middle of one of the busiest weeks I’ve had of late.
— Help is always available. Even from unexpected places.
— Expect to be delighted every day – especially from the unexpected
— Apologize often and quickly. Saying I’m sorry puts the conversation on another level it is not only disarming but brings harmony back to the table (sometimes literally.)
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Please share.
I absolutely find this ‘conversation’ a delight. Proof positive that if we are open to connectedness, warmth and love it will find us in the most unexpected ways. It is your receptiveness that allows for the friendship and the love to be experienced. Thank you so very much for sharing. There is a delightful short story here with very little work in the making 🙂
thank you so much for writing! In the middle of a very hectic week, this little conversation was a gift. And even better – the conversations with real people about the conversation with Siri! Thank you again —
Lovely piece, Rabbi Jill! I truly enjoyed reading it, and I am impressed by your ability to accept “friends” as they are, in spite of obvious limitations. And yet … Our world is becoming so programmed – Siris and voice mails, skypes and texting… My Siri is also very polite: “sorry I missed this” and “sorry I missed that”. Yet, she politely rejects unfamiliar accents and responds most favorably when I speak in a robot-like voice. Most often, she suggests to search the web for me. If only we could find real answers to real questions on the web… If only we could preserve human contact in the midst of technological progress…