Slowness to Speak in a World of Instant Communication

So, I started to touch on this point ever so briefly in my last post about dumb things that politicians say, but I'm going to dive into it more here in a much more practical manner.

The Bible says, "My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness."

This is quite a challenge, especially in today's society. We are saturated with all forms of instant communication. Your cellphone is now basically another appendage that never leaves your side. There was a recent study that found that over half of teens "couldn't live without their phone for a week." We have the capability, through Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, etc... to know, within a matter of minutes or seconds even, what is happening anywhere in the world, from huge world events, to the fact that your acquaintance living halfway across the globe is tired today. Not only do we have access to this information, but we are expected to participate in the conversation in the same rapid speed. I remember when I was a kid, if my mom and I went out to the store we may be gone 30 minutes or 4 hours, and we didn't have cell phones to call and check in, and that was ok. Today, if you send someone a text or give them a call, and they don't respond within about a minute you start to worry or wonder what is wrong or if you offended them in some way. And, I am just as guilty as anyone else of all of this.