The Bad State of Conversations in America

People aren't having real conversations anymore. It used to be that one person would talk, the other person would listen and then respond to what the first person said. Rinse and repeat. Today, you might think you're having a conversation with someone, but I urge you to pay closer attention to what is going on. Chances are: During the listening stage, people are more interested in finding an opening in the other person's speech so they can speak rather than actually be focused on listening to the other person.

Recently, I inquired about joining the National Guard. The only reason I didn't end up joining was because the recruiter couldn't guarantee I wouldn't be activated full time and sent over to Iraq or Afghanistan BEFORE I finished my last year in graduate school. This recruiter keeps calling me every few weeks, as if we're ready to move to the next step, conveniently "forgetting" our one sticking point. When I remind him, he talks around it until he realizes I'm not going to allow him to change the subject. So he hangs up and calls back two weeks later, as if we're "over" the reason why I won't join.

Stumble It!