The Importance of Communication

The recent earthquake in Taiwan reminded us all that the internet is still a network connected by wires. Apparently, the earthquake damaged some network wires underwater. I didn't realize there were hundreds and even thousands of miles of underwater cables connecting countries. We always pick up the phone or connect to the internet without being aware of how exactly the data is transmitted across the world... until something along the line breaks, and then we become aware of how things work.

For all the wireless hype, we forget that there are still wires in the background. Even cellular phone services were affected by the damage to the underwater wires. For a few days, Caroline wasn't receiving the texts that I was sending her on a regular basis. Service was so bad that she thought that I forgot about her (of course nothing could be further from the truth; I think about her all the time!). Imagine my frustration during New Years eve. With so many people calling each other compounded by the network problems, it took me over an hour to connect to Caroline. Fortunately a few days later, everything seems to have gotten back to normal, and not a moment too soon. My wife was losing much patience with me, so it was nice to have working phone and internet services in the Philippines again.

During this time, I also realized how much technology really helps maintaining our relationship. Without constant communication with each other, I don't know how Caroline and I could have survived this long. We use everything we can... all sorts of messenger programs, VOIP programs, direct phone dialing, phone cards, email, regular mail, voice mail, text messages... you name it, we use it or even just tried it out to see if it would work. I make sure not one day passes without me hearing her voice at least once, even if just for a few minutes.

I know we have it easy... as early as just a few years ago, there weren't as many forms of communication. People just had phones, or just wrote letters to each other. Loved ones wouldn't hear from each other for months until the next love letter arrived in the mail.

There still is something special about receiving a hand written letter or greeting card in the mail. The anticipation of opening it and seeing who its from is totally different than just clicking on an unopened message in your email inbox. With a letter, you can see the person's handwriting, the stationery, even the scent of perfume if you're lucky. You can see the time and effort spent on composing such prose. The erasures and wrong grammar are there; with an email, it is so easy to run a spell-check and ensure everything looks perfect. A little too perfect sometimes, I suppose, as it can make things less warm than they should be.

I guess that's why Caroline loves receiving hand-written letters from me. For her, its even more important than the gift that normally accompanies it. The sentimental value of the letter far outweighs anything else that I have given her (and that's one of the reasons I Love Her dearly).

And when we look back at our relationship, what we will remember fondly are those letters, those text messages, those phone calls. Those are the things we will keep closest to our hearts. Because, as we all know (or should know), good communication is an essential part of a strong and lasting relationship.

Life... is Beautiful.