A telephone facilitates one of the most basic human behaviours - conversation. Chimps bond by mutual grooming. Humans bond and reinforce their sense of community by conversation. Of course, not all talk is reinforcing, and some ways of using the telephone can cause exasperation (mobiles on trains, endless text messaging, unwanted 'cold calling').

Sometimes, instead of meaningful communication, we seem surrounded by alienating babble.

The Story of Chad Varah & The Samaritans

Alienation is nothing new. In the 1930s, a young clergyman named Chad Varah had had to bury a 14 year old girl who'd killed herself when her periods started. She thought she had VD. Eighteen years later, Chad Varah was still haunted by the memory. He was still a vicar - and was also scriptwriter and astronautical consultant for Dan Dare in the Eagle comic. A move to St Stephen's Walbrook ("one of those city churches with no parishioners") at last enabled him to do something about that memory. He founded the Samaritans - using the telephone as a tool to befriend many of the lonely and desperate people that need someone to talk to. Today they use the internet too.
· If you want to find out more about the Samaritans, visit http://www.samaritans.org.uk

· If you want to find out more (or indulge in nostalgia) about Eagle comic (and Dan Dare) click here.