Forgotten Art

I hope people listen when you speak. It’s nice to know people care about your opinions and value your input. The common mistake in communication is to create an environment and someone does not feel heard. Couples suffer from these mistakes often. Any communication can get to a lull and you have an answer before the words are finished being said. Kids are like that, they hear a question, their hand shoots up and they can not focus any longer because they are consumed by the question they want to ask. There is also the interjector, that needs clarification before the story can continue and the speaker loses their train of thought. As an observer I see that one a lot. I had a friend in high school, they were speaking before even four words were said in a conversation, robbing the story from its glory and making a complete jumble of the point.

The art of conversation is pretty valuable and we are losing it. It is a subtle decline but I think it exists. It is different across generations. Phones and internet model visual entertainment. My mom and I talk on the phone, my kids it is a mix of talk and text. The grands act like the phone is an option that they can ignore and stay silent. They like FaceTime! At least within our family when we are in a room together conversation is still something we can all manage. We still have times where show and share your favourite funny video takes place and everyone digs for their favourite.

We have come a long way from the party line and phones with the cord that you could stretch out across two rooms. I will say those phones were meaty and you could hold in the crook of your neck while you made supper and did dishes. I mean you can use the speaker phone, which gives no privacy to anyone. I hear more and more, that people see no one and a phone may be the only link to any conversation. Maybe it is the decline in family size, maybe it is the decline in family itself. I don’t know, my parents dropped in almost daily for tea and conversation, but I was their only child to drop in on. They came from big families and this was something that they were able to incorporate. It makes you wonder about times of horse and wagon and there was one annual trip to see the relatives. Sometimes, the further we come ahead, the more behind we are. I’d rather speak to your face, than your ears. I’d rather gauge tone from your expression than the one I assume from your hastily typed message.