II and III John, #2

"I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face."

This concept is repeated in III John. After COVID, when we have defaulted to mediated communication, we have found it hard to get back to in person-ness. We've all become introverts; at least we've moved that way on the continuum. Electronic communication is too easy. 

Well, maybe. If by communication we mean "shared meaning" rather than expression, then no. 

There is no replacement for speaking face to face. If you can, do it. It's always going to have better outcomes. In f2f, you can't hide behind a screen, a keyboard, at network, a platform/website and its design, or miles. You are vulnerable. You are you. Your nonverbals speak loudly--not the 93% we are often told, but still a lot. They help and hurt you. The words have weight and context and immediacy and directness. 

John wrote a good bit of the New Testament, and for that we are thankful. He being dead yet speaks. But in his daily ministry as a Bishop of Ephesus, he knew bodily presence is everything. 

I say this especially today after a long conversation with a couple who have "hibernated" since COVID. I reminded them, as I do everyone that while there is very little we can conclude about the social sciences, this one is indisputable: social media use affects our mental health negatively. It's not just correlation, either