Age of communication? Really?

I have often wondered as I look at this electronic age that we live in, if we have lost the ability to REALLY communicate with each other. Sounds ironic doesn't it. You look at people in restaurants, walking down the street, even at dinner tables all with their Blackberries, IPhones close at hand afraid they might miss some piece of news. Yet it seems they can't talk face to face about the most important things in their lives.  Love, birth, death, loneliness, anger.  It's all sent out into cyberspace with caution.  You don't have to see their face and deal with the emotion behind it, if you do it this way.  It's safe, its guarded.  You can just pretend it didn't happen if the outcome isn't good.  We have lost our sense of community, our sense of integrity, our sense of family.  As I said on my blog yesterday, I lost my sister last year and I am astonished at how much this has changed our family.  We send e-mails, texts, voice mails trying to navigate our way down this road without her.  The problem is that all we probably need is a good talk, body language included and a strong hug every once in a while.  Things don't come across as they should in an email, feelings are hurt, anger brews and we don't know what to do about it.  So, more emails are sent, more feelings hurt and it goes on.  What I have learnt in this past year is that there are a multitude of ways that people handle grief and none of them are wrong.  Each of us has a process to work through.  For some it will be long, for some it will be short.  Some of us pull away and some of us want to talk about every single thing that reminds us of the one we have lost.  We need to be respectful of each person's process and let them grieve in the way that feels best to them.  Sometimes they just need someone to listen...and right now this is the only way I seem to be able to do it.