Ancient texting and Modern 'cell-phoning'

My hubby and I were sitting in the doctor's office, each of us reading Facebook, news, emails on our cell phones. You know the drill. And a fella across from us said, "Do you to ever talk?"  We looked up and realized we were 'cell-phoning' or whatever you call it.

Then two older couples began chatting about the good-ole-days when people talked and visited. Their chat ventured into stories as making bread, eating bologna sandwiches, a one-room school houses, and  moms' preferring to make either homemade rolls or homemade cornbread.
 I just kept 'cellphoning' and wondering if their impatience with this new 'gadget', that has intruded into their lives lately, brought out this fascinating conversation. I don't recall this happening very often in most doctors' offices.


Then I got to thinking if I had been reading a magazine, a hard cover book, or my Kindle, would the reaction have been the same?




I also recently learned why teenagers sitting right next to each other text each other and not communicate out loud like we had to do?
When asked, their answer was simply, 'We don't want anyone to hear what we are talking about."  Smart kids. Growing up, I had to whisper.

I got to thinking again. (my hubby dreads hearing me say this) I wonder what was it like back before people could not read or write 

. 

I could easily picture a young man reading a scroll on a bench in a city plaza and people shaking their heads as they passed a young man staring at papyri rolled onto two sticks, and mumbling between themselves:

"What does he see just looking at those squiggles or what ever that nonsense is?'  

"He needs to be working, doing something useful."
'How will he ever feed a family that doing that anyway?"

"Just what will that ever accomplish anyway?'

 Did they feel about this new fan-dangled communication, as many people do today,
that it was a grand waste of time?

I  bet so.

 Maybe it's true-- times change but people don't....at lest very easily.

Crazy isn't it?

What do you think?

J