There is no justification for writing anything anymore. Everything that ever mattered had already been written—in all possible languages, some languages even went extinct despite their brilliance in literature—and there is only so much we can do to turn words into actions; and later actions into impact. Yet, those who write will continue to write and those who read will continue to read; and similarly, those who ignore both would continue to flourish in ignorance. One way to accept this world is to accept the limitation of thoughts (in absense of words) and the overreach of actions (in absence of thoughts).
In all likelihood, most of us (assume to) know what we are doing. It’s only when you write it down you realize that there is so much more you needed to know. That is the magic of writing. An empty page brings out all sorts of questions that never crossed your weary mind before. Ultimately, because of written words, you are also in sync with better answers. It’s a two-way process: begins with doubt and ends with reassurance, not certainty though. And I love this process more than anything else.
One of my earliest memories is showing my Tamil neighbours that I can write alphabetical letters. I was super fascinated by writing: an opposable thumb couldn’t have asked for a better skill. To this day, I prefer taking notes on paper even though my handwriting sucks and my typing speed is upwards of 90 WPM.
So, yeah, I enjoy writing.
However, this doesn’t mean writing is sacrosanct by any measure. Anybody can write and anyone with 6 miligrams of common sense can share their viewpoints with total strangers. We aren’t living in the 18th century where literacy was rarer than a unicorn. Today, when someone says that books are dying, what they are suggesting is, the medium is changing, not the desire to share. Printing press may go out of fashion but people will continue to consume words in, perhaps, digital formats. Right after buying Twitter, Elon Musk mentioned that video is the future on Twitter. If he was correct, then there wouldn’t have been subtitles on IG reels. It’s not that people don’t want to read, or aren’t interested in what others have to say, it’s just that the days of pontification are long dead.
Except for a bunch of entitled lotus-eaters, nobody really cares whether you are a Coetzee fan or a Naipaul disciple, or what you think of Adiche, or whether you approve of Rand in private, or you disapprove Rowling in public. Words have outgrown all of us. Our collective consciousness doesn’t pay allegiance to a petty few who have mastered the skill of expressing themselves eloquently. Reading is as normal today as taking a deep breath in smog-laden Delhi.
Excellent writing has a slightly different story.
Whenever younger people reach out to me asking what they should do to improve their writing skills, I point them towards reading material. Not necessarily books but even essays, long features, articles, letters and critical pieces. The more you read, the more you become aware of the distance between you and excellence. As a reader, you can never be aware of your shortcomings. As a writer, you don’t enjoy this luxury. In my experience, the older you get, the better you are at spotting the shallowness of your words. Some of the lines I wrote ages ago still do the rounds on internet, hijacked by fitness influencers on Instagram, motivation gurus on YouTube, and whatnot. Despite the acceptability of these ‘quotes’, my common refrain is, most of them aren’t great enough to go viral in the first place. Perhaps the complexity of my thoughts and the simplicity of my words can only procreate punchy 1-2-liners. Sad.
Which brings us to the question of the day: why do you bother to spend time on something that doesn’t enhance your being? For example, reading a blogpost on Substack. You are fully aware of the futility of an exercise without any checkposts. Simply put, why are you consuming content under the pretext of entertainment? You can surely do yourself some good by embracing some physical activities. Go for a long walk, and absorb the sounds and smells of your city for a change. There are deeper truths to be found by standing under the sky than in being hidden between lines.
Although there can’t be conclusions to be drawn on such a dense canvas, we can settle by saying that you are OK with spending time on reading things that helps you kill time. Maybe it’s not about being entertained—I just thought of Russell Crowe screaming “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” in Gladiator (2000)—because you don’t value your attention as much as the internet algo does. Just like there is only limited amount of land on this planet, there is very limited amount of time too. Do you understand? Looks like you don’t. And that is exactly why niether the writers nor the readers can ever figure out who owes whom more.
Perhaps the complexity of my thoughts and the simplicity of my words can only procreate punchy 1-2-liners. Sad.
Wow.
Also, even if this post seems to discourage reading on the internet, this is the very reason I like to spend time reading a selected few writers like you :)