Conversation with my 96 Year old Swiss Uncle.

 

( For security This is not my uncle's photo it is AI)👈

 I’d like to share a conversation I had with my 96-year-old uncle in Switzerland that really made me think.

 He calls smartphones “crazy phones.” 😊 He told me that at the village restaurant, people sit together at the same table every evening,except for the elderly, and instead of talking to one another, they stare at their phones, I told him, it’s no different here.

Then he asked me something that really made me stop and think: “Why do people text instead of calling?” I said, “Good question.”Because today, you don’t even have to dial a number. You can say, “Siri, call Jane Doe.” Done. Too busy to talk? “Siri, text Jane Doe and tell her I’m busy, but I’ll call later.” Done.
His response? “This world is not the world I know.”

And when it comes to family traditions and staying connected, he is absolutely right.
We have FaceTime. We have texting. We have phones that remember everyone’s number and practically do the work for us, yet, with all this technology designed to keep us connected, families seem more disconnected than ever.

People carry these phones everywhere. They eat with them. They take them to the bathroom. They sleep with them inches from their heads.
Yet somehow, calling a family member can seem like too much effort.
My uncle also loves my letters. He reads them over and over.
One day I asked him, Are my letters too long?” His answer nearly brought tears to my eyes. He said: “How could a letter be too long when you took the time to sit down and write it to me? “This world is not the world I know.”
And when it comes to family traditions and staying connected, he is absolutely right.
We have FaceTime. We have texting. We have phones that remember everyone’s number and practically do the work for us, yet, with all this technology designed to keep us connected, families seem more disconnected than ever. People carry these phones everywhere. They eat with them. They take them to the bathroom. They sleep with them inches from their heads.
Yet somehow, calling a family member can seem like too much effort.
My uncle also loves my letters. He reads them over and over.
One day I asked him, Are my letters too long?” His answer nearly brought tears to my eyes.
He said: “How could a letter be too long when you took the time to sit down and write it to me? I am touched and feel loved.” That stayed with me. What a difference between that generation and today.Maybe I’m just old-school. Maybe it comes from being raised in another country, where family traditions, handwritten letters, cards, and staying connected carried a different meaning.
My uncle treasures my letters and cards because he sees something beyond the words. He sees the effort. Not the number of words. Not how quickly the message arrived. Not whether it was convenient. He sees that someone took the time to sit down, think of him, and put their feelings into words.... 

Maybe that’s something we’ve lost.
Technology has made communication easier. But, easy isn’t the same as meaningful.
❤️ DON’T COUNT THE WORDS. COUNT THE LOVE.