Write more to stay connected

What is so engaging in a palm held device- which is what all of us use as a mobile phone. When I first saw a mobile phone in use, twenty years back, it was an exclusive communication device like a phone except for it was wireless device designed for use during mobility.

Now it offers the facilities of a music system, internet access, photography, graphics, calculator, alarm, voice recorder, games, video conferencing..... the list is endless.

I had my first mobile phone ten years ago and I have the third one now. I find it useful and and grateful for it. I have found it a dependable asset to access people when I am travelling.

However, it has displaced some good habits I thought I had pursued. One of them was writing letters. it was customary to write about six or more letters each working day for several years, either by typing or hand. Now I do not do that anymore.

In a meeting which I had to facilitate recently on relationships, I asked those present about their letter writing habit. They too had similar confessions to make. 

What do we lose when we do not write letters and only speak on phone. When one writes, we exercise our thinking more actively; use language which communicates affection, care and concern; present what we want precisely and briefly; share news and offer greetings..etc.

During a telephonic conversation, all the above may still happen and even more, especially attentive listening. 

However, telephonic conversations are never recorded or recalled fully. We lose the sense of sequences or evolution or formation processes, as we do not have anything tangible to return to. In a sense we lose  the sense of history when most of what we deliberate is only through phone communications. 

With the telephonic communications and SMSs becoming brief business transactions, we communicate less of our emotions of feelings, pain or disappointments qualitatively. 

I watched these three men engaged in gaming in their mobile phone for about half an hour, with only monosyllables or words spoken between them. They came for an outing hopefully build their freindshp. It became a gaming evening.

If we write less,  we will communicate less !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)