Your Observations bring to Mind, Things I've heard about how the Television Age has Done so Much to Squelch the Art of Conversation.

Sure!, Some have still Got It! We may be somewhat Heartened and Surprised! It could be one of Those Things in Life that are somewhat Better than they Look! One can Often be Positively Surprised!, by what they See in the world of Real Life People around them. As oppossed to the General Society's State and Trend. And both the Old and the New, have each got their Own Pros, Cons, and In Betweens, to Them.

But even if so, It's of course still Very Much Not the Same! TV, the Telephone, and now some Aspects of the Information Age, have Largely Contributed to Very Much of What you have to say. It's Not that Same, Closer Age of Conversation anymore!, We'd Do Well to Get Back to It!, or at least get a Nodding Re-Acquaintence with It!

I'm old enuff to well Remember your reference to "Reach Out and Touch" At least that's in the Right Spirit and Direction, but I Echo what you've known to be even Better!

Your Thoughts bring back to Mind an Episode from one of my Favorite TV Shows ever, ( Oops!, TV again! ), -That's the ORIGINAL Star Trek.

( A Vast Majority of TV shows, Now and Going Back a Long Time!, -I Really Don't Care For! What's that someone once said about "The Great Wasteland"!? I Recall a Guy once saying, that they should Round Up all the TVs and Throw Them in the River! I Liked that one Pretty Good.)

Now About the Original Star Trek, -There was an episode where this Old, Colorful, Lawyer Figure, -Mr. Cogley, Came to Captain Kirk's Defense, at a Time he Really Needed It! And BOOKS, as Well as Values like Conversation, -Came to the Fore! This is How This Ties In, with your Mentions of Books and Conversation, in This Thread.

Old Mr. Cogley pointed to his Data Disc, the Standard of their Day, Unenthusiastically Acknowledging that Anything and Everything Legally Imaginable is on them! Right There at his Fingertips. "I Don't Use Them!", -He said Dismissively and with Spirit! "BOOKS!",-"Books are What I Use!", -He More or Less said. He then Went On, to Extol the Virtues of Books!, Speaking of the Magna Carta and Many Such Things Else, in this Vein.

This is along the Same Spirit and Lines of What you Speak of, and your Mentioning of It has Brought This to Mind. It's a Good Back Up to What you've said. You may be Familiar with the Episode, or may Not be. But anybody who is, Knows Well of What we Both Mean, here!

"Cogleyism" and the Art of Conversation!, and Other such Like Things, -We Ought to be Getting Back to That!, in at Least some Understanding and Measure! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]David[/email]