“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
I Was Thinking About….The Art of Phone Calls: No Texting, Just Talking
By Andy Lee
Remember when phone calls were just a basic part of life? When you’d call up a buddy after class or have hours-long chats about girls, music or summer plans? That was real conversation – a tragically dying art.
As a member of Gen X, I was lucky to grow up right before mobile phones and texting took over. Back then, real-time phone calls were the default way to connect. None of this hiding behind tiny screens, just two people giving each other their direct attention.
Those marathon calls were the best – long talks about girls, new albums, girls, school drama, cars, weekend parties, girls, and dreams of the future. No distractions, just two people bonding through conversation. With landlines, you couldn’t multitask – you were fully present with the person on the other end. You’d pick up on subtle cues in their voice, not just sterile words. You really got to know someone through the art of talk.
Don’t get me wrong, modern tech connects us in incredible ways. But so much nuance now gets lost digitally. The crackle of a landline placing a long distance call. The shared laughter resonating deeply. The wisdom passed through wandering talks. The seeds planted for lifelong bonds.
I see kids today absorbed in texting and posting, eyes down, always distracted. And I ache for the deeper social experiences they’re missing…the ones my generation luckily still got to know.
So I implore younger people to sometimes put down your phones. Call an old friend, not a Snap group, and catch up voice-to-voice. Have real conversations that meander creatively like in the old days. Bond through the art of talk – that unique closeness no emoji string can replicate.
You just might rediscover why voices traveling across phone lines, free of distractions and glowing screens, remain the most profoundly human communication left.
Stay in touch, keep connecting! ☎️
I was thinking about... 