I REMEMBER in school, we had a little discussion on the importance of penmanship, which might still hold true even today. Back then, we had learned that in the realm of accountancy, for example, entry writing in the perfect script is strictly a must for the accountant.
The reason is since the work deals with maths, proper bookkeeping or financial upkeep, it is imperative that all entries should be legible, lest read mistakenly. It is said that the same is required in law, especially during bar exams where, answers should at the least, be intelligible when checked.
Then, of course, there’s the standing joke about why is it that in medicine, doctors’ hieroglyphic scribbles (when they write prescriptions), are only limitedly-readable to pharmacists and medical professionals? That’s justified in the end when at least the joke implies that the message, not the way it is delivered or written, is the more important thing.
Meanwhile, it is quite common nowadays to read shortened communications exchanges, like the ones found in text messages. Words like g2g (got to go) or ttl (talk to you later) litter day-to-day communique online or through cell. Also noticeable in place of the usual closing words are emoticons which, as they’re called, not only convey but also amplify, what one feels at the moment of writing.
All these we take for granted and may hardly be noticeable in the everyday hustle and bustle of modern times, but are these shortcuts and abbreviations obvious manifestations that we truly are in a hurry?
I have asked that question to my son at one time, and his deadline story still fails to please me. Even during off work hours, the tendency to rush has become apparent for most people including him, so that leads one to ask, is this downloading to our attitude then?
It goes without saying that I understand and truly relate with the need-for-speed attitude of the young and their miles to go before I sleep motivation. After all, I was once in the same racetrack. Hardly a cog in the machine anymore and my butt is now sadly sitting on a fence by the road. Then, I have to ask this of the young, why?
Yesterday, I accompanied my partner to our local official to claim our new food and medicine pass, and there was a line at the entrance. A group behind us coming in had initially acted as though they wanted to break through but thought none of it at the last instance.
I thought, really? Impulse might have been the thing, but that is rooted in attitude. Later, attitude, once taken as a commonly accepted thing, will eventually seep down to permanently settle in culture. Aren’t we scared yet? Or do we wait to find out?
