The re-opening of Baker Pharmacy and its iconic soda soda fountain signifies much more than the simple near death of a business enterprise, it represents the fresh emergence of a multi-generational institution with long and deep tentacles constituting — and perpetuating — the very heart and social fabric of the Shelburne Falls community and the plethora of surrounding towns and villages of West County and Southern Vermont. Like the former Wilson’s Department Store in Greenfield and Avery’s General Store (still extant) in Charlemont, these family-owned and operated entities have become entrenched and relied upon as pillars of social interaction, coveted as much for the necessary tangible items they provide to the public as for being hubs of social discourse and fundamental human interaction for the community at large.
The timing of Baker’s near brush with death is especially poignant given the rapidity of technological advancement and its questionable effects on the human spirit. The burgeoning revolutionary forces of artificial intelligence (AI) and its accompanying impersonalization threatens to further obscure and to possibly negate face-to-face contact and interaction with our friends and neighbors. Already, it’s often difficult to distinguish between a human voice and one generated artificially. This, together with the ongoing emphasis on a paperless society, is cause for concern in terms of the real fundamental needs of the human organism. At what point does too much day-to-day technology become detrimental to the human condition? Like a mother’s touch to a newborn baby, can we do without basic human contact? Is our quality of life diminished by the dissolution of institutions such as Baker’s — social incubators that breath life and color into our communities and their inhabitants?
When I was a kid Walter Cronkite hosted a weekly show entitled “In The 21st Century.” He opened each segment by saying, “In the 21st century life as we know it today will be much different.” Boy, was he prescient in his predictions! This begs the question: How much different? Are we really becoming the Jetsons on steroids?
Like the near loss of a loved one, the real prospect of losing this person (or in this case, this entity) make us realize how important their (or its) presence in our live matters. Such was the recent sobering news of Baker’s to many residents of West County and beyond.
Brad Brigham
Colrain