Too Busy to Communicate

Everybody is busy these days.  Everybody seems to lead a hectic life even when they are supposedly kicking back and "taking it easy."  I look around and see folks talking on their cell phones, texting friends, playing computer games, running errands, doing yard work, watching television, exercising, perhaps writing their own blog, reading, or taking a nap - just to rattle off a few so-called leisure activities.  While we may agree or disagree as to how important or worthwhile any of those actions might be, none can dispute they are among the ways people choose to spend their time. We may be a push-button society, but that does not mean we do not know how to fill up our waking moments.

This is not all that dissimilar to our eating habits. As a society, we may not eat all that well, but consume food we certainly do. No time for breakfast, so we grab coffee and a donut. There is too much going on so our lunch becomes a power bar and/or soft drink. We have every intention of making up for breakfast and lunch with a soild dinner, but then the kids have soccer practice so we end up going to a fast food place instead. It is go-go-go, If being active and busy was all it took to lead lives of health and quality, then all of us would have nothing to complain about. Sadly for us, busyness does not do the trick.

The result of this kind of bounce-from-one-thing-to-the-next lifestyle so much of us lead is that some very importabnt aspects of life are getting short-changed. Good health is one. Another is communication. My concern is more of us are taking less time to communicate in meaningful ways with those around us. We are on-the-go, so therefore we communicate that way. Not taking the time to properly interact with each other and engage in two-way exchanges only adds to the prospect of increased misunderstandings and feelings of isolation. I can only hope our pendulum begins shifting in the opposite direction. If not, then the 21st century may not turn out to be all we hope for.