I am quite the old-school types. Of times when sparks flew as love-at-first-sight happened, when happiness was in small things, when say 'Hi!' to an unknown was so much easier.
Even though I mentioned that happiness was in small things, I used to love the long form. Inland letters, postcards, hand-written letters posted by someone, to someone. And the pleasure of receiving it is unmatched. Completely pure! Its like each letter has been crafted with so much love and affection and every emotion is depicted so clearly and so beautifully on paper. It's like someone has left their heart open for you. To peek into it and weave memories together.
But then things changed. Hand-written letters became passé, were then called snail mails and emails became the next big thing. I was quite okay with this change. I could still sense the affection in every written, or rather typed, word. I loved reading, writing and receiving long, enormously long emails.
Today, I experience the downside of maturing. Long form has become shorter and short isn't so sweet anymore. The charm of the old is taken over by the snappiness of the new. And so much for adapting, I personally find it extremely exhausting to write long emails. Reading them can get taxing too. I hardly write anymore.
Its like we are in a constant state of over-communication. The need and the urge to stay connected always, to share, to inform has defied the necessity to write that long letter to a loved one, to pour your heart out to someone, to say the unsaid.
With the hope to bring myself back from the dead, to try and write to one loved one every once in a while, I hope this is a start, for the sake of myself, if not for anyone else, Adios!
2 comments:
Dear Happy Nomad
I was wondering how can you write when you are busy nomading! Isn't that an oxymoron of concept?
Okay, leaving my immensely bad taste of humour aside, I have to tell you that your post touches a cord somewhere. No, not because of the romanticism of long mails. To let out a small secret, I find this brouhaha about long letters and all things poetic and old a little cliched. We have moved on to other things simply because they make more sense. I have immense faith on progress of civilisation and a certain Mr Darwin.
However, it is your feeling about writing that I am talking about Nomad. I feel you and I weirdly bear very same sentiments there. Writing is immense, writing is spiritual. I find writing a way to understand the world, people, their behaviour, emotions. Yes I write, my two cents of effort. And it has helped me analyse and understand people, almost in a psychological way. So yeah, writing makes you powerful.
Oh yeah, writing is also about ending abruptly, if you don't find anything else. So…
Dear Anonymous,
Firstly I am almost curious to read what you've written so far. Especially about you analysis of people, emotions, behaviours etc.
Further on, I assume you haven't received a long, email from anyone for long, perhaps. Do feel free to share your email id. Maybe, you're the one I should start with- my list of long letters...
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