Thursday, August 18, 2016

Whatever Happened to Face to Face Conversation?


I might be out of touch with reality or just a plain old foggy, but have you noticed that the art of face-to-face conversation has taken a back seat to people who use their I-Phones and I-Pads etc. on an almost addictive basis?

Not only are youngsters being addicted to fingering their machines incessantly, but I've noticed quite few older folks falling prey to this highly addictive activity.

Why talk to someone when you can text, seems to be the rationale of the people who are “addicted”? Being this impersonal is not a good idea for building up meaningful relationships among family and friends. I'm afraid if I get one of those machines, I too, might join the addicts of non-verbal communication.

From my observations, I see the phenomenon of all ages trying to find “Pokemon”, whoever the hell that is? I've read some accounts that people have been injured by falling, tripping or running into things, as they have their noses planted into these machines and not looking where they are going. I've mentioned to others that they should call others and talk to them, but they said it is easier to text them. Goodbye verbal communication, and goodbye conversation.

Of course, this trend to text each other causes a void, especially in a young person's development. Face to face communication of one person communicating with another, will become a lost art as some young people will not know how to interact with another person without their trusty impersonal machine at the ready.

My semi-addiction with my computer is bad enough in taking up my time, but it can't compare to the use of these villainous little machines made in China. It must be China's revenge on the world?

To my chagrin, I've been in restaurants on a number of occasions next to families with young children. I looked over at them and saw the kid(s) fingering their little machines, ignoring their parents and their surroundings like the parents or their surroundings weren't there. Why do parents let their kids do that? Don't they consider that rude behavior? I guess not, as it seems they just want to keep the kids quiet as they wait to eat. To my mind, that is a wasted moment of a wasted positive verbal interchange between parents and child (children). You wonder sometimes that all this innovation in our lives has had an adverse effect on our personal relationships, something that we should have more of, not less of.

So yes, conversation seems to be lacking in our lives today. To my way of thinking, it is not something for the better, but is something that should be looked upon as a negative, not a positive thing in our society.

Who knows what the future will be like if this lack of personal conversation is relegated to the back burner by the use of these tiny machines in place of real face-to-face verbal conversation between individuals?

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann.




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