Friday, March 17, 2006

Keep Talking..

The most human instinct of all I feel is the urge to communicate with other fellow beings.
In 5th or 6th grade I had learnt that thousands of years back, people used to use sign language to make the other person understand what he’s trying to convey.
The evolution of language seems to be a fascinating process. From ancient latin, greek, Sanskrit & Victorian English to today’s sms lingo, the mode of expression may have changed but the passage of time hasn’t had any effect on the human impulse to communicate.
I personally find it a stimulating experience to share my thoughts & viewpoints with my friends & people who would be willing to hear me out.
Nothing beats a night out chatting with the guys in my dorm room over a bottle of vodka or telling that somebody special how much you missed her while she was away.
A lot depends on the kind of company you have. I personally feel blessed to have the most wonderful set of friends. Our topics usually include girls, career, politics, life in general ,girls, why so & so prof. is such a moron, what’s that smell? ..I think you get the picture!
Having conversations on diverse topics is always a rewarding experience for me. I have also understood that to have an open mind is paramount for anybody who has a rational temperament.
I have learnt that intellectual arrogance can be the death bed of your own creative intellect. I have learnt that we can always learn something new from every creature with a thinking brain. All that’s required is a little humility.
The thrill that I feel when I get to chat with somebody on subjects & issues that are close to my heart is indescribable & I’m sure there are a lot of people who feel the same way because reaching out is the most natural human instinct.

The most obvious mode of communication is verbal i.e to talk. But then, there are different layers to human psychology. History books will tell us that there have been artists & poets who weren’t exactly good communicators, people who were confined to their own worlds but

have mesmerized people the world over though their works of art & literature. Some people reach out through their creative expression rather than through spoken words.

The last century witnessed an explosion of knowledge which has resulted in rapid technological advancement in all walks of life. Life in general has become so very data-driven that it poses a challenge to all of us how to communicate & assimilate all this knowledge.

E-mail revolutionized the way people write letters to each other. Apart from being incredibly cost effective (its free people!!), it is very accessible with more & more computers breaking the digital divide.
Instant messaging, short messaging service are gifts of technology which have pervaded the lives of millions of people who want to communicate & communicate in ways that are both economically viable & to which there is a certain amount of technical coolness attached to it.

But I guess you can never beat the actual act of talking with your college buddies about why the 60’s were the golden era for Rock music or why that hottie in your college never smiled back at you!

"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals.
Then something happened which unleashed
the power of our imagination.
We learned to talk."

- Pink Floyd