Conversation
appears to be a lost cause, replaced by today’s technology. While at work, I enter the break room to make
my way to the restroom. Do I see
employees visiting, laughing, and joking while eating a snack or lunch? No…I see employees with shoulders hunched
over, ignoring co-workers while they text or read the cell phones in front of
them. On the off chance they are holding
a conversation; it is frequently interrupted by the all important text
messaging or social media alerts.
Back in the day
before cell phones and other portable electronic devices, lunch, or even dinner
out with friends or family, meant a time to visit and converse while we broke
bread together. We talked about home
life, work life, children, parents, spouses, boy/girlfriends, friends, travel,
school, marriage, births, divorce, politics and religion among numerous other
topics.
Even further back
in the day when there was no television or even movie theaters, a night out on
the town meant people talking and conversing about great topics of the
day. Art, politics, war, current events,
and community scandal was discussed to find solutions, attempt resolutions, or
simply to discuss or debate a topic at length.
Is the younger generation losing the ability to verbalize with each
other these same types of topics? Are
they becoming stunted, destined to communicate only via text with abbreviations
such as OMG, WTF, BRB, LOL or even simply the Like button?
Unfortunately, my
own behavior oftentimes mirrors that of the younger generation. Instead of calling, I’ll often simply send a
text because it’s faster, easier, and less committal. But in trying to save time, it appears I may
be losing out on a personal, emotional connection one can only have with a
verbal conversation.
Lately I’ve
mentally scolded myself when I’ve ended up on my phone during dinner with my
loved ones. Aren’t they worthy of all my
time rather than the bits and pieces they are given while I scan Facebook and
my email? The conversations I share with
my boyfriend, my children, my friends, and my family provide me with improved
communication and long-lasting memories; shortening or even declining these
personal discussions, replacing them with social media updates from friends I
haven’t seen in 20 years is deplorable.
Here’s a toast to
setting the phone aside and my renewed committal to increasing verbal,
high-quality conversation in my life!
This doesn’t mean my texting or Facebook membership will disappear, it
simply means they will be relegated to the bottom of my importance list.
