The Pen or the Keyboard.

{ August 31, 2009 @ 5:48 pm } · { personal }

As much as I like Joshua’s writing in the previous post, I have to say that unlike Joshua, I am quite ambivalent on this issue.

Penning words to paper the old, traditional way is very emotional, yes, but who says using a keyboard is not? Do our emotions get lost through the complex circuitry present in technology nowadays? Nope. These serve merely as interfaces for us to jot down our thoughts, a way in which we communicate. Film composers use synthesizers and computers to composer their music. But when we look at a film, say, Pirates of the Carribean, we say, “Hell, this music is awesome!” and not, “hell, this music is so computerized.”

Perhaps the only thing that makes computers feel so distant is not because of the lack of emotion, but because of the lack of solidity. Many would prefer reading a book on paper because page turning is so much more rewarding than mouse-scrolling (not to mention much less taxing on the eyes). For that reason, people tend to shy away from reading literary material using a computer. A teenager will close the tab on Shakespeare and open a new tab for facebook instead. But then, the querulous will complain that computers have no emotion, when exemplary works of literature are all around the internet! The pros of technology are abundant, it’s just that blinded ignoramus get distracted too easily, seeking the easy way out all the time, choosing facebook over Shakespeare, choosing youtube over the New York Times. (On a lighter note, I shall admit I am one of them.)

Have you ever written letters? Not love letters, not those, but REAL letters which you seal in an envelope and post it with a stamp. (And no, scholarship applications and school assignments don’t count).  Now I think of it, I’ve only written one letter in my life. It was for my late grandmother. For this, I can see the merits in letter writing. Again, solidity plays a major role. When someone gives you a letter, it’s always to be able to hold them, to feel in your fingertips the inscribing of the words behind the paper. You then look at their handwriting, which conveys love, support and compassion in their strokes of the pen. Like our personalities, everyone’s handwriting is different. Some slant towards the left, some slant towards the right; some apply more pressure, some apply less. These insignificant details all convey our personality traits in real life. Alas, in emails, all we get is a size 12 Times New Roman!

This situation then leaves us in an unfortunate predicament.  We don’t want our emotions to be fettered, yet we need convenience. We want to write a lot of personal statements, yet deluge in the satisfaction that what we had written has been read. We need security, yet we are inclined to take risks at the same time. To pen or not to pen? That is the question.

It seems the best way to record your thoughts, in this age of time, is to blog. It is the most efficacious way of communicating your thoughts with others. The internet holds many treasures, blogging being one of them. Embrace blogging, for it may be one of your most gratifying endeavours!

Nigel

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