Let Your Fingers Do The Walking

Barely anyone uses a phone book anymore. These days it's a lot more convenient for people to search for information online. Those inch thick books of fine print telephone listings are not even used as doorstops or step stools anymore. The books just seem to pile up until they are thrown in the trash or if they are lucky, end up in a recycle bin. Although it always seems sad when something we are used to goes away for ever, I for one will not miss the thud of the landing when one of the books lands on my doorstep.
The phone book has gone from an indispensable tool to an unavoidable nuisance so why not end the process of automatic mandatory distribution. I have not used a phone book in a very long time but I still get a thrill from seeing my name, address and phone number in print. Maybe I need to be reassured of my human presents on Earth. Hopefully I won't develop some kind of identity complex when the powers to be figure out that human fingers don't walk anymore. But that day may never come unless the industry's attitude of "By gosh we're going to deliver you a phone book whether you like it or not" changes.
There will always be people who complain that they will lose contact with friends and neighbors if they don't hear that thud on their doorstep each year and God forbid that anyone develops arthritic fingers when they stop walking through the pages. I'll admit that every once in a while my fingers still think it's 1960 and have that need to walk but my brain usually redirects the fingers towards a 2010 Google search box. I'll always miss a few things about the 1960s, flower power and free love but using my fingers to walk the pages of fine print won't be one of them. Besides, I can't even read the fine print in a phone book with out reading glasses and who in their right mind want's to be reminded they are 58 instead of 18!