Sign In
Subscribe Now
A new day; new hopes and novel aspirations. New goals to turn misty dreams into reality. It is new year. It is 2025. How time flies! A whole year gone in the blink of an eye!
I woke up around midnight to hear a constant buzzing and pinging of my cellphone. I picked up the cellphone, lying near my bedside table and saw a spate of text messages and emojis as well as flashy new year cards (some inspirational), wishing me tons of happiness and success. Bleary eyed, I sent a quick one-liner to all wishing them the very best of 2025 and dozed off.
The shrill ringing of my phone (this time, my landline) made me get up with a jolt. Skeins of sunlight were pouring in through my bedroom window and it was high time that I got up.
“Hello,” I said sleepily.
“A very happy and a rollicking 2025 to you, dearest friend,” a chirpy familiar voice spoke. How can I ever forget my college mate and dear friend, Ruby? I was wide awake and exclaimed, “Oh! my God, so lovely to hear from you. It’s been ages, eh, since we chatted – how are things? Blah, blah.”
We could have carried on and on exchanging notes about how life has treated us and reminiscing about those good old school days. She was in L.A. and I was on Vancouver Island. It must have been almost 30 minutes before we said goodbye and promised to keep in touch with one another. What a wonderful beginning to the day, I thought. I felt elated and so energized.
I could hear the noise of the usual morning commute as I drew the lace curtains of my bedroom window aside. I paused momentarily. How different it was to receive a text (a typed message) as compared to the warm appeal of a human voice. I feel that a true social connection can only be made with the human voice conveying feeling through varying voice intonations and intensity. One can sense the excitement and the emotional touch in a human voice. It can convey warmth and caring or it could be a cold cryptic voice with a no-nonsense tone. It prepares one, either way. A text on the other hand is mechanical and totally devoid of a human touch. Almost robotic, I would say.
However, dear reader, do not misunderstand me. One has to keep up with the current messaging devices as they have their pros too. Texting is the ‘in’ thing as it is quick and easy with back-and-forth replies. In this modern age, we want prompt action so much so that we are always ‘wired’ and on the go. We need instant gratification.
Don’t we also need to indulge in activities that ‘still’ the mind? Don’t we need to stop awhile and ponder?
Kamal Parmar is Nanaimo’s former poet laureate.
Breaking News You Need To Know
Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A link has been emailed to you – check your inbox.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A link has been emailed to you – check your inbox.
Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines.
There are no items to show.