Pretty soon, most people alive aren’t going to remember the days when texting, Facebook messaging, and tweeting didn’t exist. While each of these things have on some level made life a lot simpler to communicate for so many, I’m saddened because they have also been the sole reason why people are becoming more and more impersonal with each other these days.
I say all this because of a recent incident where I called my former alcohol and drug counselor from my alma mater. She was the first on my path to guiding me towards a life of sobriety and will forever hold a place in my heart. I left her a nice message on her voicemail the other day and asked her to ring me when she could, as I really wanted to hear her voice again. Days later, I finally received a response via text message saying not much more than how busy she was and how she hoped that I was well. When I responded to the text and asked her the best time to talk over the phone, I never got a reply.
This isn’t an isolated incident either with the impersonal side that social media brings nowadays. There are plenty of past Happy Birthday greetings I’ve received on Facebook or in a text message where when I’ve called the majority of them to hear their voice, I got voicemail recordings instead. Then there are also the times I’ve been sick or ailing from a health issue that have resulted in similar results. And I can’t forget all the Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and various other holiday greetings that come in the form of two words in the same fashion.
I know I can’t speak for the rest of the population, but I sure can speak for myself in saying that I treasure actually hearing someone’s voice on my birthday wishing me a happy one. I treasure actually hearing a person’s voice telling me they’re praying for me and hoping I feel better when I’m not doing so well. I treasure actually hearing a loved one’s voice over the phone that I haven’t spoken with in ages. I honestly just really treasure actually hearing a voice rather than receiving a text or some other type of social media message no matter what the occasion.
Society is truly becoming more and more impersonal, and selfish and self-centered because of this trend. Almost gone now are those days when most people took the time to pick up a phone and connect with a loved one, a friend, or anyone for that matter. Actions likes this are now considered to be an inconvenience for a vast amount of the population it seems. And in all honesty, every time I’ve ever resorted to using social media to connect with someone on their birthday, a holiday, whether they were sick, or for some other reason was generally because I cared more about myself, and my selfish needs, then actually taking a few moments of my time to do a selfless action like calling someone.
So with Christmas looming around the corner just a few days from now, the best thing I know I can do to counteract this downward spiral in personal communication is to pick up the phone and call each of those I care about. I truly believe that action will be far more spiritual, selfless, and connecting than any of the ones that would involve me sending a few bits and bytes across the digital realm. And hopefully each of you will also join me this holiday season in trying to reverse this growing impersonal trend before we all forget the importance of close human interaction.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson