Why You Should Own a Landline Telephone

My parents still own a landline telephone.

It’s been the same number my whole life. My mom even taught us a little song when we were younger so we could remember our address and phone number in case of an emergency.

Do you remember the last time you used a landline?

With the invention of the smartphone I suppose they seem sort of useless. They don’t have games, you can’t check your email or Instagram, there aren’t apps. Most landlines don’t have a touch screen, you have to actually push a button (I know, the novelty)! If you’ve ever watched old movies you might remember the phones that had a spin dial instead of buttons – it must have taken them ages to make a phone call!

I remember when we first got a cordless home phone line. One I could take into my room or walk with around the house. Boy, was that exciting! It had a charging station and was a shiny black. There wasn’t anything else like it at the time.

Then, I remember when my parents brought home their brand new cell phones. They were pretty clunky back then, nothing like the sleek, pocket sized phones we have today where you can have a new case design for every day of the year if you desired.

No, these cell phones were the beginning of a new age. And with that new age came something else.

Texting.

A recent survey by Open Market determined that 75% would prefer a text-only phone than a call-only phone.

You know what that means?

We don’t make as many phone calls as we used to.

It means phone calls don’t have the same value.

It means, we love our friends and family, but we struggle to find a free five or ten minutes every few weeks to call and say hello with our own tone of voice rather than a string of emojis and text shorthand. Rather than having heated conversations over text that are all a misunderstanding of tone of voice, we could just call and avoid that issue altogether.

Now, we could call from our smartphones. That’s an excellent start.

But how many of us have made a phone call on our smartphone and put it on speaker or had headphones on so we could distract ourselves with the latest Facebook feed or Instagram story? We end up entirely missing out on spending time with the person on the other line.

So why should you own a landline telephone?

What can a landline do? It allows you to be present in a whole new way.

You can make a phone call and your ability to talk isn’t dependent on your battery life. Landlines are available in case of an emergency when the power goes out and you are in need of help but your cell phone battery has 3% left.

But don’t hear what I’m not saying. Cell phones are great.

When you get on the subway or BART and you’re exhausted from work, reading an article or looking at some pictures on social media can provide the introverted time you need. In emergencies, cell phones are an instant source of help whether you’re on the side of the road with a flat tire or with someone in a medical emergency.

And text messaging is wonderful too, when you’re on the run and can’t talk but you were thinking of someone and you didn’t want them to go through the day without sending them a message . Or maybe you took a cute picture and want to send it to your mom or best friend and at your fingertips is this amazing technology that allows you to do so!

What I’m truly saying is something your mom might tell you. I can feel the eyes rolling, so I encourage you to hear what I say through a different tone.

Hear this through the tone of a friend who wants you to be genuine, authentic, real, unfiltered, present.

What I’m saying is this.

Don’t forget to call.

You won’t regret it.

And the person on the other end? You might be surprised by the excitement in their voice when they pick up and say “hello.”

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