LOSING THE HUMAN TOUCH!

The "King of Cool" during the filming of Bullitt

How many times have you walked into a restaurant or bar and when you look around, everyone has their Blackberry Phone out texting someone and giggling? What's wrong with this picture? I believe I have an answer.

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First of all, you've just walked into a social environment where friends meet for a drink or a bite to eat, ostensibly, to catch up with one another. The simple joy of communication means sitting with someone, in-person and listening, seeing their facial expressions when a point is made, noticing their hand gestures to amplify a point and above all--relating what they are sharing to a similar experience you may have had. I may be wrong. But I seriously doubt Steve McQueen would be using Facebook or Twitter if he were alive. I see him picking up the damn telephone (see photo above) and calling someone for a meeting on a given subject. My Point: People are not communicating anymore. They have "buffers" that have sadly become substitutes for true communication. I tell all of my friends, "Don't bother texting me. I don't text. If you want to see me, call me and let's get our schedules together".

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Yesterday, I took a meeting with a friend of mine who is a media and communications executive. I have to laugh at myself. My car was being serviced, so my friend swung by the garage where I was waiting and picked me up in his Porsche Boxster wearing a custom tailored suit. I, on the other hand, wore jeans and a light Autumn jacket and we stopped at an International House of Pancakes restaurant for a gluten-free lunch. We had talked about some concepts on the telephone, but we realized the phone was no substitute for a face-to-face meeting and it was a great discussion!

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In the airline industry, a friend of mine who was a CEO once proposed a merger between two ailing companies that actually made very good business sense and would have saved both companies and the jobs of nearly 30,000 employees. A billionaire who became interested in financing the transaction first asked for a meeting with my friend. The purpose behind this meeting was that the financier wanted to look my friend in the eyes as he was making his presentation to see if he was sincere. Satisfied that he had picked the right person to run the merged company, he flew to New York to hold another meeting. But my point is that neither Facebook, Twitter or a conventional phone call would have cut it.

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Rock artist Rick Springfield has a hit song he uses in concert called "Human Touch". The crowd usually goes wild when he performs it. At least part of this is due to the message being conveyed, and it hits home--emotionally-- with everyone. I really do believe this. People recognize that we have changed as a society. Life is fast and getting faster. Show me a company that will take a meeting with someone who walks into a lobby, much less offers to schedule one! Are your e-mails getting returned promptly? Your phone calls? A letter (God forbid you should snail-mail someone)?

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Don't get me wrong. Cell phones can be used to help others. Here are some examples from my own life.

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In the Mid-West, I was walking out of a store one afternoon when I witnessed three high school-aged guys abducting a young girl. Can you imagine this in broad daylight? Two boys held her arms behind her and another was about to punch her in the stomach. They were about two-hundred feet away from me and I yelled at them to get their attention. They stopped and turned to look at me. I held up my cell phone and told them I had just called the police. The boys shoved the girl in the car and started to drive away. They barely made it out of the parking lot when three police cruisers converged on them with six police officers. The guys were arrested. The girl was unharmed--Thank God.

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In Texas, I was driving my red sports car to the library on a Saturday to work on a magazine article. It was pouring rain. I looked over to my right and saw a crazed lunatic with an MK-47 assault rifle dressed in Army fatigues and standing in a parking lot about to fire bullets at a Synagogue. I floored my accelerator to get past the man and called 9-1-1. Others had telephoned ahead of me and the police had surrounded the suspect with guns drawn to arrest him. The incident made national headlines and I believe he is still in a federal penitentiary. Thank God for the actions of others!

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After a newscast at the television station, I was driving home around dusk when a man stumbled out in the middle of a two lane highway from the woods. He had been stabbed and shot several times. Fearing I was also in harms way, I accelerated around him quickly and called police and fire rescue from the top of the hill. Quite dramatic, I'll admit. But cell phones can be used for good purpose. Again, here's my point: On balance, there is no substitute for the "Human Touch" in communication.
Take care!
Michael

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Thanksgiving: I give thanks for the few times I needed help and a stranger responded. One day, my Nissan 300ZX car battery exploded under the hood during rush hour traffic on a busy Tollway. A kind man in an SUV stopped and offered me a ride to nearby repair shop where we ordered a wrecker. I went to offer him a cash tip. He refused and said, "Nah! It's all part of life! Someday, I might need the same favor." He smiled, waved and drove off. There are good people in the world, even as rushed as it is!