Do we need to speak to be heard?
My mobile phone rarely rings these days. When it does, a good rule of thumb is: I will only answer it if it’s a number I can recognise. The reason is simple. I communication with my family predominately via Skype. With friends, I mostly use social media like Facebook or we just send each other text messages in a flash. It may sound strange but for me, talking to people on the phone seems to be a thing of the past.
But because of this mindset, about a week ago, I nearly missed a call from someone I knew – an ex colleague of mine. Luckily his name popped up on the screen, so I felt comfortable taking it.
While in the middle of our conversation, I thought I’d mention to him that this is the first time in months I speak to another human being. Oddly enough, when I was telling him that, the line started to break up a bit. So I had to repeat three or four times before he was able to hear the full sentence. His reaction? Well, he didn’t sound too surprised. After all, being a single person living by myself, it’s no big deal considering the situation we are in today affected by the pandemic. With our movements still being largely restricted by the public health orders during lockdown which started in June and has been extended to the end of August, I will continue to stay at home, live a low-key, modest, and self-sufficient lifestyle.
I may have been quiet for sometime, however in no way it suggests I’m lonely or bored. In fact, quite contrary to that, there’s been a lot going on in my head for as long as my waking hours. I try to spend time on things I love to do – dancing, exercising, painting, writing, editing videos, playing keyboards etc. plus those mundane house chores I can not avoid. Life is busy and also productive in that regard.
2021, while we are still in the midst of pandemic, I see it as an opportunity to slow down, preserve energy, and be kind to myself. For me, solitude is a choice I make, rather than a condition that’s been forced on me. To describe a flow state that I’ve experienced this time around, again, words are just not enough…
Ted Tsai 