Conversation is the Key to Society

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A few days ago I was sitting at the Apple store in an attempt to get my phone fixed and of course it was so crowded that I had to wait for what felt like five hours. Within the first twenty minutes of getting there, I had already looked around the entire store, so I was left to wait at a table in absolute boredom. About another fifteen minutes later, the lady next to me casually mentioned, “I’m assuming you’re here to get your phone fixed too,” and so I told her about why I was at the store. Her simple comment started a forty-five minute conversation between the two of us and by the end of it I had learned all about her daughter and she learned about my interests and school life.

On my way home from the store, I was thinking about what happened and was amazed at how meaningful a simple conversation is. Even though this lady was a complete stranger to me, telling her about my life was one of the most eye opening experiences I have ever had. I realized that texting is not at all a sufficient form of communication because it provides nowhere near the same sense of feelings and emotion that an actual conversation does.

Literature reveals the power of communication as well, which I noticed while reading Song of Solomon. Milkman had only heard stories based on "what was flattering" to his father, which lead him to having a distant relationship with his mom (124). However, after Ruth communicated with Milkman about her perspective of the stories, he developed completely new feelings towards her and realized his dad's true self that he had hidden from his son.

Words are key to society and need to be used more often among people. I know we have all been told that we should put down our phones and actually communicate, but everyone seems to just blow this comment off. However, people seriously need to exit the isolated world found inside their phones and enter real life that consists of conversation among people who you may have never spoken to. So make it your goal to branch out from the same ten people who you are always with and learn about the life of one someone new.
PLEASE watch the video I attached because it left a huge impact on me and I hope it brings you a new perspective too.

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