Phone Texting: The ongoing Conversation

When I first saw my daughter and all her friends texting on their phones all the time I thought it was kind of silly. However, over time I found it useful slowly but surely. You see, texting is an ongoing conversation in which you are not necessarily (unless they wish it)  interrupting what the person you are sending it to. So they can receive your message on their own time and terms. So if they are busy doing something else they will wait until they have a free moment to respond. This is what I'm beginning to call "The Ongoing Conversation". So even if someone is 10 to 5000 miles away in a sense they are right here in the room with you or wherever you are. And I can see why kids like it so much because it makes them feel much less lonely when they can be in these ongoing conversations with their friends 24 hours a day. I think it is useful especially in kids 12 to 25 years of age in the prevention of suicide. Oh, I suppose if you had two complete nut cases texting that both wanted to commit suicide that wouldn't be good. But generally most people reinforce each other in positive ways to keep each other alive because they love and care for each other as friends. Otherwise they wouldn't be texting in the first place.

The second thing to think about when you are texting "You have to be more adult to think this way" is that what if unknown people of ANY sort good or bad intercepted your messages? So, learning to be somewhat hidden and cryptic in your messages is a way to protect yourself, your identity and things that you might not want generally known out and about about your life, your family etc. So in your own enlightened self interest you learn to (self censor) how you text about anything. It only makes good sense in your long term survival process here on earth.

Many times I worry about kids texting and sexting and sending pictures that could cause them problems later in life without a second thought. But I guess life is mostly "Live and Learn" and you and I almost didn't survive many things in our own lives growing up already before we got some sense. The most vulnerable people tend to be is 12 to 25 in regard to doing things that might cause their own self destruction. So, hopefully people who text or sext get smart really young in regard to all this. The problems become even more acute if a young person has a smart phone. Because once you can take pictures and text or sext in a couple of moments this all becomes potentially much more strange and dangerous. So enjoy the ongoing conversation! But don't be an unwitting victim to it!