I’m a tactile not a texter. I claim to be a woman who actively engages with all of her senses but must admit that I have found myself way too participatory in sense less communication. Unless one counts the feel of the phone beneath steadily typing fingers or a distorted face on the screen, none of the five senses is really in play when a text is being sent. Don’t get me wrong, all forms of electronic communication are quite useful particularly when there is a need to reach someone quickly, business is being conducted or we are in a meeting and just want to tell another we are thinking of them (love giving and receiving actually). What I object to, have given over to is the use of texting as the primary method of communication between friends, family, loves; the sense of intimacy decreases as the chance for misunderstanding increases.
And while I’m at it, I want to touch on the sense-less-ness of multitasking as it relates to electronic communication. I’ve become so accustomed to consuming breakfast at my desk while looking at Outlook and listening to voices dictate voice mail messages to me via speaker phone that I barely taste what I’m putting into my mouth. It is my belief that eating this way has done little to nourish me rather it’s just a form of mindless caloric intake that leaves me less than satiated in more ways than one. I won’t even start on the fact that cell phones seem to be de rigueur when it comes to table settings. They’ve taken a spot just to the
right of the knife, out, on and answered when people should be engaged with all five senses plus a sixth, intimacy (which does not necessarily mean romantic or sexual) as they relate to people, food, ambiance, etcetera. So, what to do…
Texting definitely has its place but the ability to hear, smell, taste and physically touch loved ones does not exist and four out of five in this case does not make for good odds. It takes less time to tap to dial and offer the melodic sounds of our voice to those close to us than it does to compose a message and hit send. We need to take a break from all this immediacy to sip our tea, engage with the aromatic, visual and tactile pleasures that come with eating and other things for that matter, and get back in touch with our senses, ourselves, and one another before the day comes when that text is read and deleted with no response sent…ouch!
Well, at least you’ll feel something but try not to let it get to that point and as you make the effort there’s always one sense that will be in play if you…
keep your peepers open!®
