About two years later, I had become a Disciple. My wife knows this, I had a pretty hot and heavy interest in one of the sisters at church, and the feeling was mutual. Anyway, some time after we cooled our jets about each other, we kept text messaging each other. I was then told by one of the leaders at church, to stop doing it. The reason being, messages are just words, and with out knowing the intent of those words, one can feel hurt by the silliest of jokes. It basically boils down to this:
- If you have the time to sit there to have a conversation via text messaging, then call away. For me, it's cheaper, we have more than enough minutes for me to talk to you for five minutes. I call people hoping for their voicemail to let them know I was thinking of them.
- What are you so scared of when you hear another's voice? 6% of a conversation is the actual words spoken. That means over 90% of your conversation is nonverbal. Why reduce the efficiency of speaking to one another? Your tone, your surroundings, your voice, the emotions you can convey through speaking on the phone avoids misunderstanding.
- Sending text messages promotes less actual contact with one another. Back when I was a kid, I saw shows and movies about the "next century." The sterilization of society, I heard it called. But think about it, we are getting more and more closer to depiction the Jetsons has shaped much of the youth of the late 70's early 80's. Boxes that speak, video screens to speak to one another, goggles that allow you keep watching your favorite feature, meals in pill form, families that go out together but do not actually interact with each other, drop down/pull up entertainment. This sterile world we are creating, could be result of us not actually speaking to one another.
- If I hear another sister in church comment about the awkwardness of the brothers in church, and they are more than willing to text message people, I will explode. (Okay, so I typed and re-typed this point a few times.) Actual interaction with one another is the lifeblood of fellowship. Making the effort to leave messages or even calling some one, makes all the difference in a Disciples esteem. Being able to communicate to one another is important, but the non-verbal part is incredibly more important.
- Finally, I don't have to wonder why the youth of today do not know how to speak or listen with intent, because they reduce their words to a few letters or some sort of cryptic message that means something. I deal with 16-25 year olds. Most of them have grown up with a cellular phone in their pocket. They need me to actually spill out each detail of what I intend to do. The other managers I work with, they have an uncanny knack of knowing what I am thinking, with out asking me to explain. Does age have something to do with this?
