Talk Ain't Cheap
Golf is a game of etiquette, with strictly adhered-to rules, monitored on the honor system. Silence is a critical element of the game's enjoyment. It allows for focus as well as escape from daily routine.
Thus, I found myself on a recent vacation examining the clubs in my bag, evaluating the potential effectiveness of each for getting the attention of the two players in the group ahead who spent a good part of the day on their cell phones.
The golf chatter with my playing partner turned to our personal communications packages, comparing our plans and usage while bemoaning the costs of keeping connected in a changing social world. Both of us carried telephones with Internet access and I can no longer live without my electronic notepad. Internet connectivity at home is a must. Like him, I had recently given up my landline phone.
We both spend well in excess of $150 each month for services for phones, notepads and Internet access. Neither of us wants to work in the car all the time, so we bypass the car's telephone service. His costs were a bit higher as family members piggyback on his plan. There appears to be no hope for reducing these costs anytime soon. As they say, no money, no service.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a household spent an average of $1,200 per year on telephone services and close to $900 on audio-visual equipment and services. These costs amount to 4.3 percent of the income of the household. The budget share would be greater for lower income families.
My friend and I are old enough to remember rotary dial phones and a fixed monthly bill that could actually decrease! As budding personal finance experts, we recommended that consumers decline the optional insurance for the internal telephone line and jack repairs. After all, the probability of loss was low as were the costs of repair (meaning that it was best for a person to self-insure). Once deregulation took place, a household could buy its own phone, further reducing the monthly costs of communicating with family and friends.
The monthly bill that never ends is not the only cost associated with communication. Many people violate personal boundaries routinely by sharing inappropriate personal pictures. It's now easier than ever to gossip -- in multiple formats and create a permanent record while doing so! In some cases, online behavior has cost a person a job or kept one from finding employment.
Individuals often use communication services to harm others. Consider the recent suicide of a young lady whose attackers posted pictures of the assault on social media sites. Reports of bullying by text are rampant.
Online gambling and pornography addictions have increased. It's easier to commit adultery by developing inappropriate relationships through online communications. All of these events severely damage family life in addition to creating moral hazards.
Texting while driving has become such a problem that many states have passed laws banning the behavior.
Communication among family members and friends may be changing for the worse. Experts agree that well over 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. How do our messages change if the receiver can't see (or hear) the sender? It's difficult at best, and extremely annoying to socialize with a friend or family member who is constantly checking emails, texts or taking phone calls.
The ability to be in constant touch, to easily share every thought and emotion with those who may or may not care may be hurting our souls. Do we spend as much time in silence and prayer as we do talking and texting? How does our relationship with Jesus compare to the one we have with a co-worker with whom we have little in common? Is the need to stay in touch or included making us demanding, impatient or jealous?
Quiet time is beneficial to physical and spiritual health. It permits healing from the stressful activities of daily life. Solitude grants us the grace to gain perspective. Turn off the TV, put the phone in a drawer, shut down the computer. Spend a few minutes with yourself and God.
Who knows? You may find two new friends.
