^$#^^%#$$#@@$#$##$ -
If we saw that line in an email, most of us would interpret it as swear words, anger, frustration, etc. But, one day as I was typing, I had my fingers on all the wrong keys and something like this ensued: do zi fifn’y knoe ehsy yo fo. Interpret that! LOL, OMG, and WTF are all acronyms for some pretty clear statements. The world of techno-babble has evolved to the point where a larger percentage of people are texting instead of using face to face communication. Inevitably, there are going to be some problems interpreting those texts.
I know for a fact that when my mother is angry at me, she starts her email, which formerly consisted of snail mail or letters written to me, her oldest daughter, with Dear Daughter…. I can be sure I am in for a lecture then. Even as a senior citizen, I am still subject to my mother’s stern words if I don’t tow the line. Now if the body of her email has all caps, then I’d better not read the message or I am in for a lot of anguish!
I, for one, also use a lot of smiley faces, LOLs, and exclamation marks to enhance the power of my email, but a recent discussion via email to someone who really doesn’t know me ended up in a fiasco I never want to repeat. So, listen up, kids, it’s time to reassess your emailing/texting viewpoints.
Recently, on the John Tesh radio show, he gave out some suggestions for making a relationship last and one of the things he mentioned was that we should never text during an argument. That makes sense. We write what we think and send it without really thinking. What’s the first thought that comes to mind when someone is mean to you? If you are anyway near normal, that first thought is to tell that person where to go and that place is hot and certainly not pleasant. But after thinking about it for a while, most people will realize that sending someone someplace bad does not really solve the problem long term. After all, we have no control of where someone goes in the afterlife, so we need to focus on the here and now.
If you have a conflict with someone, wait to talk to that person directly, and, if that is not possible, be sure you engage the services of your land line or cell phone. That way you can hear the intonation in the person’s voice. You can hear the sincerity or lack thereof equally well. You can ask questions and you can truly resolve issues more clearly.
So, while texting and email are great vehicles for common interaction, nothing beats talking face to face or engaging in a conversation over the phone. Clearly we are social beings and technology sometimes doesn’t help us in that arena. So go over to Jane’s house and tell her how you feel. Look at her body language and her eyes when she speaks to you. A better relationship is on the way if you heed your words and communicate with your entire being.
If we saw that line in an email, most of us would interpret it as swear words, anger, frustration, etc. But, one day as I was typing, I had my fingers on all the wrong keys and something like this ensued: do zi fifn’y knoe ehsy yo fo. Interpret that! LOL, OMG, and WTF are all acronyms for some pretty clear statements. The world of techno-babble has evolved to the point where a larger percentage of people are texting instead of using face to face communication. Inevitably, there are going to be some problems interpreting those texts.
I know for a fact that when my mother is angry at me, she starts her email, which formerly consisted of snail mail or letters written to me, her oldest daughter, with Dear Daughter…. I can be sure I am in for a lecture then. Even as a senior citizen, I am still subject to my mother’s stern words if I don’t tow the line. Now if the body of her email has all caps, then I’d better not read the message or I am in for a lot of anguish!
I, for one, also use a lot of smiley faces, LOLs, and exclamation marks to enhance the power of my email, but a recent discussion via email to someone who really doesn’t know me ended up in a fiasco I never want to repeat. So, listen up, kids, it’s time to reassess your emailing/texting viewpoints.
Recently, on the John Tesh radio show, he gave out some suggestions for making a relationship last and one of the things he mentioned was that we should never text during an argument. That makes sense. We write what we think and send it without really thinking. What’s the first thought that comes to mind when someone is mean to you? If you are anyway near normal, that first thought is to tell that person where to go and that place is hot and certainly not pleasant. But after thinking about it for a while, most people will realize that sending someone someplace bad does not really solve the problem long term. After all, we have no control of where someone goes in the afterlife, so we need to focus on the here and now.
If you have a conflict with someone, wait to talk to that person directly, and, if that is not possible, be sure you engage the services of your land line or cell phone. That way you can hear the intonation in the person’s voice. You can hear the sincerity or lack thereof equally well. You can ask questions and you can truly resolve issues more clearly.
So, while texting and email are great vehicles for common interaction, nothing beats talking face to face or engaging in a conversation over the phone. Clearly we are social beings and technology sometimes doesn’t help us in that arena. So go over to Jane’s house and tell her how you feel. Look at her body language and her eyes when she speaks to you. A better relationship is on the way if you heed your words and communicate with your entire being.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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