My cell phone plan allowed me to add a line for only $10 extra a month and included free cell phones. I couldn't resist this great offer and got both of my children their own phones. My son is the youngest of the two and this was his first very own cell phone so I had to explain to him that it was not a toy and was to be used for communicating with me or his sister when away from home. Sometimes we get text messages faster than voice mail so I added 300 text messages to his plan with the understanding that if he went over these minutes he would lose his phone. The main reason I had to do this is because now I had to pay extra for those minutes and it showed me that he was not responsible enough to keep track of his usage. That's when all hell broke loose.
He went on this tirade about how not being able to text his friends was going to ruin his life. He went on to shout to me about how texting had made him more popular because he was able to talk with his friends when he was away from school when more things are happening. His outbursts grew into crying and wailing about how losing this ability to connect with his friends would alter his life in such a negative way he may as well not have friends at all! All I could think of as I watched him take his tantrum was how pathetic this world has become and cell phones were the catalyst to this now global phenomena of texting.
I've been in sales for many years, way before cell phones even existed. All we had for remote communication with each other was the old landline telephones. Back then you were suppose to go out an actually speak with other human beings and communicate through your voice and body language what it was you were trying to get across. By doing so you were able to get the whole idea behind the words as you bantered back and forth with words but also connecting with each other through direct eye contact and sometimes touch. This, I believe is the "human connection" that the cell phone is robbing us of. I could go on and on about this subject but I'll stay on track with the main story regarding my son...
I then asked my son why he didn't just call his friend and use the phone for what it was first intended for. He said that, being a boy, he wasn't so good at communicating with others in such a direct fashion and the texting made it easier for him because he didn't have to deal with awkward silences direct communication presents at times to the speakers. I suggested that maybe the conversation was then over, unlike texting where you could talk about nothing for hours on end. He didn't accept this logic at all and just continued on with his tantrum.
What have we come to? A bunch of low self-esteem disconnected excuses for human beings not able to have a sincere, in-depth conversation with each other? What has happened to the art of conversation in this world. I feel it in my job everyday. When I text someone or send out emails I know I am not really connecting with the person on the other end because of the fact I cannot see their reactions to my words, the expressions on their faces, the tones of their voices, etc. I feel I've become more of just a messenger, rather than a "customer service" person, just delivering the goods without much a personal touch.
I believe it is that personal touch that all bring to the table when speaking with each other face to face, that makes our words more powerful and alive as we keep our audiences captivated and persuaded into believing what we have to say. There is a purity and honesty that we attach to these types of conversations that we are losing in this new texting culture.
Understanding how hard it is to be a teenager in today's society, I do feel for my son when is pleading with me to understand his communication shortcomings. But I also believe he will never truly learn how to connect with others if he doesn't start learning to speak with his voice to those he truly wants to connect with. So I'll keep his phone from him for just a little while to stand firm with his punishment but also to see if he can adjust to the loss and learn how to use the real tool for communicating, the one God gave to us for this purpose, his voice.
