Talking and Reading

There are two forms of communication that are being lost from the history of humanity: the art of talking to each other face to face, and the art of reading from books. Have you seen lately young people talking to each other, playing games sitting in a circle, or simply discussing or debating a topic as we used to do in our secondary schools? Look at any group of teenagers hanging about, tapping and clicking on their cell phones, checking their lap-tops for e-mails and the latest entries into their Facebook accounts. 

Surprisingly enough, just this morning after saying my morning Mass at the other Nursing Home, I stopped to order some octopus pasta at the local popular restaurant called Otto, and while waiting for my order, I was engulfed and transfigured into this cacophony of noise coming from a bunch of women chatting and talking and arguing (while probably waiting for their order too). The whole place was abuzz with chattering while two teenage girls were intensely checking their laptops, as I sat quietly reading an article from a religious magazine. So as much as the art of conversation is still alive and well, especially among the seniors and elderly, the art of reading is slowly disappearing from our society. I have to admit, most of my reading is done through the Internet, but I still enjoy browsing through the daily newspapers and magazines. I love to talk to people face to face, especially in a quiet environment, like hearing confessions in the sacristy or counseling a parishioner. But it is so healthy to be able to talk to people face to face, instead of having to answer text messages and cell-phones, which of course keep ringing during my Masses, which drives me crazy, to say the least. God bless verbal communication, and books and magazines, and the art of eye-contact, smiling and talking.