I have been spending a lot of time talking on the phone lately. This isn't something I have done in a while. Ever since I joined the rest of the world on Facebook, Twitter and with texting, I have noticed I do a lot less talking and a lot more typing. Since doing this I've also noticed that I have a lot less personal contact with people, and I think my friendships may be suffering because of it.
On the one hand, friendships have become a lot easier to cultivate with all the digital advances we have. Meet someone, get their phone number. Text them. Friend them. Message them. All of these outlets provide myriad ways to get to know someone faster than ever before. But are we really getting to know people? Sure, we know a lot about people. Where they went to high school and college. Where they work. When their birthday is. How many friends they have. But does knowing a lot about a person mean you actually know them? Who they are, what they think and feel?
I think the quality of a friendship far outweighs the quantity of friendships a person has. So I've been on the phone, getting to know my friends. Talking about things we are looking forward to, hopes for our children, places we want to visit, etc. At the end of the day, I am remembering that this is why it took me so long to adapt to all the new digital toys and fads. I'm old school (or maybe just an old fart) and pretty happy that way. I'll continue to keep up (or at least try to) with the trends, but I'm going to remember that the personal touch never goes out of style.
