We too often take the telephone for granted. I hear so many people speaking on the phone in the same way they would face-to-face. Then, when we want to escape from the world, or a particular person, we leave the answering machine on to screen calls. However, realize that most people don't like to leave a message and would rather talk to a real live human being. The telephone used to be a miracle device, and now we use it as though it were just a toaster. But, the telephone is a powerful device .