The Written Word
In this world of constant movement and full-motion, full-color, all-access entertainment at our very fingertips at every instant, it seems that our lives are moving at a much faster pace than they used to. We no longer want to take the time to read through something that might take more than a couple moments of our time, because that may mean that we may somehow “miss” something else that is going on “somewhere.”
We stay up to date on the latest shows, the latest trends, the latest gossip, and the latest technology. But in this constant barrage of input, it seems that something that was once held as the greatest weapon and greatest asset of all time, the pen, has fallen by the wayside. Has it truly become eclipsed?
This is, of course, symbolic. The pen is increasingly becoming an archaic instrument, replaced handily by the keyboard, the touchscreen, or even the voice recorder. While there are us stalwart few who relish the use of a quality tool of writing, the flow of the ink upon the page, more commonly the rising generation is more likely to be wizards of texting rather than students of good penmanship. Handwriting, while always appreciated, is now often categorized in the mindset of the majority among the “classic arts.” Don’t believe me? Write me a note.
In the internet age, the written word first had an excellent translation. As the speeds were at first slow, text was the only medium available for the sharing of information, so newsgroups and forums quickly began. While there were many who immediately disregarded the use of grammar and spelling in their “posts”, it was often necessary to check your own posts for errors, else your peers not understand the purpose of your contributions.
This, in fact, enhanced the skills of many, including myself. I attribute whatever writing skills I may possess to the years that I spent writing within the digital hallways of the “Virtual Battle School”, or VBS, on Hatrack.com – A veritable trove of writing treasures now whose current state is hardly a shadow of its former glory. This was a place of fiction, of imagination. A place where we allowed our fictional dramas to explore the furthest depths of our own fantastic perceptions.
VBS was unlike anything that even exists at present. We chose our pen names, but there was no immediate antagonism of the “new guys” as there is in current online cultures. It was a place to learn, to improve yourself. You recognized that there were writers better than you, and you understood that there always would be. But they would almost always be willing to help you, if you asked. It was a place of respect, of wonder. And now it’s gone.
I look now at the things that have replaced it. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. While I use them myself, I can easily understand why they have eclipsed places like VBS. They are quick, simple, and for the most part, irrelevant. With a quick check of a single page, I can see if anyone I know has posted anything of interest to me. If not, I ignore what they say, and move on. They are all neat little compartmentalized relations, and there is very little soul behind them which to peer into.
There is no diving into the depths of a “tweet’s” meanings. You needn’t think farther than simply “Ha, that was funny.” Instead, these quick and easy methods of communication allow us to trivialize even the most important of topics into small, manageable, 128-character chunks. It’s so good of the world to pre-digest our information for us, isn’t it?
For my own self, I think I’ll do my best to continue to utilize the written word as best as I can. While I may still utilize the new “methods”, I treat them with caution. The written word seems, to me, to be too important to be contained within the confines of a limit. My imagination means more to me than that.
- K
October 24, 2010 | Categories: Entertainment, Lifestyle, Social, Writing | Tags: fiction, Hatrack, osc, word, written | Leave A Comment »
unflinching views
I’ve discovered, more often than not, when someone asks you for your opinion, they really don’t want it. Instead, what they’re looking for is an affirmation of the opinion that they already hold, and therefore anything that you might say to the contrary is nothing but noise to them. What’s strange to me, however, is that these same people will then believe your opinion to be wrong, you to be inept in some way, and will go right on believing that they are completely right.
And it’s not as if I’m not guilty of this. I am a very opinionated, very brash individual who doesn’t mind sharing my thoughts, which could be a reason that not many people think to ask me. I am very blunt, I say things simply, and I ignore the fluff that others might choose to dress up an answer or idea to make it more pleasing to the ear. Instead, I say what I feel honestly, and in the most no-nonsense manner possible.
Apparently, that’s not the way it should be done.
I’ve been told repeatedly that I’m not allowed to do this. I can’t just say what I think. I can’t just tell someone that I don’t like their ideas. I can’t defend my position logically, and I’m supposed to flinch, and change my views on a whim to match whomever I’m talking to, regardless the situation. Apparently, this is the norm of social protocal.
The thing is, I’m not completely ignorant to the nuances of sociality, or even the subtle intentions of acts and ideas. It’s just that I more often than not choose to ignore them, unless I feel it’s important to follow them. If someone needs something from me, all they need to do is ask. I will do my best to come through. But when it comes to hints, conniving questions, guilt-ridden statements, or any other type of socially-acceptable re-phrasing that I’m supposed to be able to interpret, I leave the babel fish in the shot glass, because I don’t want to deal with it.
I refuse to waste my time and energy striving to perceive what other people want to say, but are either too shy, too afraid, or too entrenched in social appropriateness to say out loud. We were given voices to speak and ears to hear, and not taking advantage of that situation seems like a precious waste of prime facial real estate.
It’s not that I’m stupid. It’s not that I’m absolutely cold. It’s that I’m sick and tired of the unimportant crap that people see fit to wade themselves through day in and day out. We grow up believing in light and dark, knowing the clear difference between good and evil. Throughout all our lives, however, we are convinced, and convince ourselves, that there are many differing shades of gray, and that true black and true white don’t really exist. But eventually, we can stand back, and realize that we were simply squinting our eyes, blurring the image, and that the world really is as black and white as it was when we were young.
Scoff if you like. Call me a fool. I really don’t care. This is the domain of my opinion, and I will say it as I see it.
And there’s nothing that’s going to change that.
- Karratti
September 16, 2009 | Categories: Life, Social | Tags: appropriate, blunt, brash, guilt, proper | 1 Comment »
art of interpretation
As I sit here, waiting for my next class to start, a group of deaf students are conversing in the middle of the hallway. Though not a single word is spoken, and there are few, if any, discernible sounds, I follow the ebb and flow of the conversations almost as if I spoke ASL, which I do not. It’s fascinating to me that, though the language is completely different, I can understand the expressions, the group dynamics, and even the mannerisms of the different students easily. I can’t help but watch.
I had a number of similar situations when I was living in Hong Kong when I first arrived. I may not have been able to speak or understand (most of) the language, but I could often understand the mannerisms, the dynamics, the relationships, all by watching. While many often enjoy the nature of people-watching, I personally prefer to “people-interpret”, creating my own dialogue and reasonings behind why the people I watch are doing the things that they do.
Why do the two basketball players walk slowly down the hallway, while the lone kid with a backpack can’t seem to run fast enough? Why do some people avoid the gaze of others, while others are looking all around? Are people shy? Or excited? Or cautious? What are their stories? What are their lives like? Where are they going, or coming from? What experiences do they have to share?
While that may seem a little odd, I think that it’s an important trait to have, especially for someone who is looking to pursue a career in entertainment or writing. I think that it’s important to be able to create compelling fiction from something that may even seem a little mundane.
But more than just for writing, I think it’s important to realize that each person that you see every day, no matter what they look like, what they’re doing or what they’re wearing or driving, is an individual person with an individual life. If you asked them, they would probably have a million stories to tell.
And well, so do I.
- Karratti
August 27, 2009 | Categories: Life, Social, Writing | Tags: observe, people, translate, translation, watch, Writing | Leave A Comment »
words!
A week or so ago, a buddy and I were talking about this series that I we’ve been working on, and we came up with a play on the phrase “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” The rest of the night, and for a couple days afterwards, we would keep insulting each other, (jokingly, of course… ignoring the tears), and suffix the sentence with the exclamation, “Words!” It was more of an inside joke than anything else, and added yet another entry to my Idea Journal. But it was all said in fun.
Now, I know that this is sort of linked to the post I put up yesterday, but I had a situation yesterday that got me thinking a little about the profound power that words can have, even when you don’t mean them to. I was talking with another friend of mine, and the subject of relationships came up. Offhand, I asked a question that, at the time, seemed like wasn’t that big of a deal. I was pretty cavalier about it, and we didn’t dwell on it very long. It wasn’t until a couple hours later, when I got blasted by angry texts from her avenging roommate, that I realized there was more to the exchange than she had let on.
The thing is, though, I had no idea what was going on. I hadn’t been told that I’d said something offensive, or hurtful, and so I was kind of blindsided. But apparently, I had created one hell of a storm.
After we had kind of resolved the situation, I had a few hours lying in bed to think, not necessarily about what had happened, but more about the power and influence of words in general. As much as sticks and stones may hurt, words may quite possibly be a much more deadly and debilitating form of warfare. While even the deepest physical cuts can usually heal within a few months, sometimes a cutting remark can leave open wounds for years, even causing the victim to emotionally bleed out and die inside.
The adage, “The pen is mighter than the sword” is so unbelievably true that it’s scary how these weapons are carried without a license. And it’s not as if their power has never been recognized. “Knowledge is power”, and because of that, utilizing that knowledge effectively can truly be the determining factor in saving a life, or destroying one.
Wow, went a lot deeper than I meant to. I guess I just wanted to remark that you should really watch what you say. I mean, I’m pretty blunt, and I say whatever I happen to be thinking, because to me, I feel that talking about someone behind their back is just cowardly. But even so, be aware of the effects of your words. And be aware of the effects of words on you. All in all, just be aware.
And watch out for the sharp points.
- Karratti
August 18, 2009 | Categories: Social, Writing | Leave A Comment »
fear
I think that every one of us, no matter how outwardly confident or independant we might seem, can feel a measure of fear. Each of us have those situations where we’re absolutely confident, and others where we’re absolutely petrified. For some, it may be something as physical as heights, or tiny creatures. For others it may be a fear of a person, or a place. For most of us, however, I believe that our fears are more psycological, or social – The fear of rejection, of failure, of heartbreak, or of the unknown.
But then again, maybe that’s just me. I was making my way home from my most recent grip job last night around six am, and I’m not sure if it was the extreme lack of sleep from a long week of late shoots, or just the sobriety that comes from a lengthy amount of driving, but I realized that there is a fear inside of me, one that I’ve been struggling to ignore for quite some time.
It’s not a fear of spiders, snakes or snails, and it’s not of heights or even of public speaking. My logical mind seems to have an innate ability to explain away why I shouldn’t be afraid of those things. But instead, I believe my fear is more commonly held among those of us who long for something that seems unreachable, a paramount challenge whose rewards are uncertain and whose fruits may not be as sweet as we believe.
I have a fear of the interpersonal.
I am, by nature, a fairly shy and private person, preferring only to disclose to those around me the things that I wish to be known. There are plenty of parts of my life that I don’t really like to share with anyone – Feelings, thoughts, stories and ideas, all of which I feel might cause others to view me as strange, criminal, perverse, or even insane. I think a key to happiness, though, lies in finding people with whom you can feel safe to share those innermost thoughts, who you can trust not to judge you by the impressions that your ideas may make, but instead accepts you for the unique individual you are.
My problem, however, isn’t exactly finding friends. I have a good number of great friends – People who I can trust, and whose loyalty I have no reason to question. People whose hands I would be perfectly comfortable putting my life into. Instead, I find myself having a hard time overcoming the fear of establishing new relationships.
It’s understandable, I think to myself. I mean, I had a break-up that was really rough on me in 2007. This girl really tore me up. But I should have been able to get over it. I should have been alright. Instead, I find myself fearful of putting my heart out there again. When your soul has been crushed like that, it’s understandable to be hesitant to allow someone else the chance to take a hammer to it, and so for me, I’ve become more and more intimidated to the idea.
I find myself wanting to overcome it, but unwilling to put in the effort. It’s as if I can’t seem to see the goal clearly enough to take the chance at obtaining it. Perhaps that’s a goal that I should take upon myself. Perhaps I just need to take a chance and try – See where it takes me. I’ve guarded my heart for two years, allowing it to become locked away, cold, and hard. I need to let myself learn to care again.
The only thing I have to fear is fear itself. Unfortunately, fear is a very formidable adversary, and requires very specific weaponry, and very specific goals to defeat it.
I just hope I’m up to the challenge.
- Karratti
August 16, 2009 | Categories: Life, Love, Social | Tags: break, fear, friends, heart, hope, Love | 1 Comment »
