There is no greater skill than communication. Speech is communication. Writing is communication. Music and art are communication. A simple hand gesture, a wink, a smile, a nod - all communication. Our body language is communication. Every one of us has multiple ways to communicate. So, why don't we?
I remember the time before the internet. I remember writing letters, phone calls - hell, passing hand-written notes in class! We seemed to place value on communication. It was exciting to receive a letter in the mail. Maybe a birthday card, or a love letter, or just correspondence with someone. I miss those days. I remember how expensive phone calls were. Growing up in Ohio, it was a toll call to phone my friends across the river in West Virginia. Once I could drive, it was cheaper to drive to see them than to call them. As a musician, I spent lots of money on phone bills booking shows, tracking down gear, scheduling studio time, etc.
Now we have the world at our fingertips! So, what do we do?
We do the same thing we did when we first got email. I remember receiving so many emails that had FWD FWD FWD FWD FWD in the subject line. Maybe we don't have as much to say as we like to think we do. Now we share posts, memes, reels, videos, etc. from faceless strangers. They all tend to be advertisements or an effort to push an agenda. I'm sure that most people share them because they find something useful in the message. Honestly, I'd rather just hear my friend/family member/acquaintance's personal thought on the subject they share.
I understand. Sharing is easier. There's diminished responsibility for the message. Oh, it's nothing important or serious. I was just sharing it. What I don't understand is sharing something that has no point. Maybe I'm just old and weird.
I enjoy social media. Since the pandemic and my strokes, it's often my easiest way to socialize. My legs don't work well anymore. I have health issues that I have to deal with. I don't drink like I used to. I don't really do live shows anymore. As sad as it is, social media is most of what I have for a social life. But really - it ain't bad.
Every time I look at social media, I see posts from friends all over the world. At any given time, I'll see posts in at least 3 different alphabets, and a variety of languages. I see posts in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Bulgarian, Russian, Swedish, Ukrainian, and more. I am always amazed that I live in a time where I can experience all of this cultural and linguistic variety right from my phone. It's astonishing!
My friends overseas tend to post much less foolishness. Maybe I just don't understand the complexity of all of the messages. It's possible. I know this: my friends overseas post much, much less political crap and ridiculous conspiracy theories. If they are posting it, I'm not seeing it. Maybe they're more discrete with their posts. But my American friends and family, EGAD, I can't go a day without a never-ending torrent of anger, vitriol, and crass comments. It makes me sad. I often ask if they know the person who posted the original quote/meme/article/opinion piece, etc. 99% of the time, they don't. Oh, I saw it on some page or in some group. Again, diminished responsibility. I understand why people are upset. I really do. But I don't think it's healthy when that's all you have to say. Hatred has never stopped the sun from shining.
This year, I've deleted over a thousand people from my social media. They were all either too negative or were little more than ghosts. Over the years, a lot of people have friended me not because I'm a fun guy, but because of my past perceived musical career. Friends of friends, and so on. I'm really not that personable. I'm open to all people. My faith dictates that. But I'm only human. I can only handle so much negativity.
My Australian friends are often a ray of sunshine in the digital din. We share the same sense of humor. We can discuss political and social issues without it becoming a scorched earth debate.
My Japanese friends often educate me on subjects I'm woefully ignorant of, like their culture and history. My Finnish friends always seem to have pleasant surprises for me. I've known many of them for almost a quarter century. I've watched their kids grow up. Now those kids are creating new and exciting business ventures, and of course, making my friends grandparents.
My Bulgarian friends - God bless them. Their music has been a large part of the soundtrack of my life for decades. The friendships I have developed with Bulgarians - they truly are remarkable people! It shows in their music, their art, their culture, and yes - even their food. (I'm still not going to drink ayran, but that's a story for another day)
The younger folks in our lives - they don't know a world without the internet. They can't imagine not having a phone with them at all times. They probably can't fathom having to wait a week or more to receive correspondence in the mail. But those of us of a certain age - we do. We should return to assigning value to what and how we communicate. Communication runs the risk of becoming a lost art.
I still occasionally receive correspondence in the mail. Few things can fill me with that level of excitement. Checking the mail and seeing a surprise package or a hand-written envelope with a familiar return address. Call me old fashioned. I still love getting mail. That level of communication is priceless.
