Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful for email, text messaging, and all the various chat applications (including the one on Facebook, which always seems to conk out on me mid-conversation). They're terrific for quick and brief messages, and thus are wonderful time savers.
Still, I believe that if any real conversation has to take place, nothing beats one that's face-to-face or even over the phone. Skype works, too, in a pinch. What I'm saying is that if subtle nuances like tone of voice or facial expressions can make all the difference in the outcome of a discussion, then there's simply no room for shortcuts.
I got into an argument with a loved one this morning, one that was completely unnecessary. The misunderstanding could have been prevented -- or cleared up before it exploded -- with just five minutes on the phone. I should have known better. Well, I did. Next time I'm going to remember never to get emotional with my thumbs; nothing good ever comes out of it. If I have to suffer in silence until I can actually talk with a live person, then so be it.
Here's a two-minute video in Facebook chat form about a romance that ended before it ever had a chance of beginning. Can you imagine how things might have been different if they both had just picked up the damn phone?
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