Communication?....What's that?!?

For the most part, I have been really lucky with how my parents and I interact. I am still living at home, hopefully I will move away someday when I can actually make some money. Although the stigma for a 22 year old still living at home is considered "sad" or "lame" I think I am living with it pretty well. My parents and I don't usually fight a lot, and we have some great times. HOWEVER, sometimes I feel like I am the only person on the planet who has ever heard of the word communication! Have you ever felt that way? Things would be SO much easier if people would tell you what is bothering them, what they have/had planned, or how they are feeling. Today's world thrives on the internet, cell phones, and any other kind of hand-held media devices we can get our hands on. While this new age of technology has taken us leaps and bounds in the medical world, it seems as though it is also slowly but very surely killing us on the communication side of things. Kids think that a text conversation is the best way to "talk to someone". I don't know about you, but "talking to someone" really means picking up the phone, or having a conversation face to face. Texts or emails are great for long distance, or when there is little time, or if the information being related is short and sweet. But is it ok to begin a relationship on the computer without ever having met the other person? Is it ok for couples to fight or attempt to solve a problem via text? This kind of thinking, I believe, takes the person out of the relationship. Of course its easier to discuss an issue via text- you can say whatever you want with really no physical or emotional repercussions. You can tell someone you've been dating that you're not really "ready for a relationship" via text without having to see the hurt or pain in their eyes. This technological age can take us over mountains that we never imagined we could climb, but we cannot forget that it is people who create this technology to assist humankind. The people in our lives need to come first. We need to show our feelings to other people, not a computer screen or cell phone message. We should look forward to seeing someone so we can talk, not to go for our phones first to text them. We cannot allow ourselves to let the technology of the ages take over and rule our lives. Communication is: the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. Let's not forget about some of our most necessary human functions in our daily lives. Talk to people face to face. Make that phone call instead of sending a text. Be courageous and learn that even though we have the technology all around, it isn't always the best option to use it.