How have you been

I have to admit I am not good in keeping contact with friends.  Sometimes, my friend never hear from me for a couple of months and then I resurface.

Having said that,  I was reading an email from a friend that read:
"I am sending you an email just to check you are still alive, although it is very normal that you disappear a few months."

I do wonder:
1. If I am no longer alive, how will the email tell?
2. Isn't it better to pick up the phone and ask "hi, how have you been?  I have not heard from you for a long time and I want to make sure you are fine."

I wonder how the world has changed the way we communicate. 
Instead of meeting up and express ourselves directly, we write.
Instead of showing our care in a direct and loving manner, we use negative words in our communication.

Then..........  we all complain "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU DON'T CARE"