* * yaaawwwnnn * * G'Day folks..
I got up at sometime around 9:00 this morning, the time usually when my partner leaves for work. Hence many days I wake up to an already brewing argument instead of a warm cuppa kaapi.. and well today's awakening was quite different.. that difference is entirely my fault and that experience (however bittersweet) I will keep to myself.. it will bore you if I have to describe the details.
what I am trying to blog about.. sorry, first time I'm blogging.. (reminds me of a buddy here, Bravo buddy boy, now I know what it feels like when failing at something you try for the first time) well, why did I begin this blog.. lost directions you see, folks me the forgive please..
At work, the first, rather the very first thing I do is go to my mailbox. Its not only used as a source for sharing ideas, its also used as a near complete work flow solution. Most personnel seated at offshore treat their desk & machine as office and the mailbox as "The Boss" - because works flow, they keep flowing from it, perennially..
Nowadays, as soon as I open my mailbox, my eye wanders to the mails popping up.. some official mails, some spams and the horde of 1-liner mails & (Best Part) forwards from friends. I call them the best part because you can sit at your desk an entire day and read all these **so called personal** mails from friends, yet make-believe that you are at work.. Most employees have a rule setting for mails from organization units, "My Boss", other "Bosses".. each have rules set to them depending on whether they are liked or not, many times any mail not coming from "My Boss" are routed to "Junk" or "Spam" or *DELETED* automatically.. funny that Senders & Receivers know this happens yet they stick to keep up the good work.
Coming through all that to one type of mail. I get about 6-7 "Good Day" "Have a nice day" "Thought for today" "Start your day with a smile" mails each day. And like well-oiled machinery, I follow the invariable rule of forwarding these wishes to zillions of unsuspecting other users awaiting my (original) mails so they could forward to some of their fellow-men (& women). Its almost as if this cycle happens by clock-work.. and its done as if to clear mailboxes by such push & flush mails passing through in larger numbers, even larger than spam mails. I imagined the below in the vicious cycle of such mails today.
As usual I was awaiting a friend's mailer to wish me "Good Day" - I am utterly sincere - I admit that most days only after I read her mail I begin my day at office. Of course, I failed to mention.. I read it, modify it to reflect my language and hand-writing and then forward it to my fellow-people, before I begin the day's works.
Today, she is late to work!! And I was appalled at having to wait for that lifeline mail which is the ignition point for me to push further in to the day's works. after a few minutes I kept checking my mail often to see if I'd received IT. No luck..
Then it occurred to me.. why am I awaiting this mail?? am I addicted to it? God I'm already struggling to wriggle out of 3 addictions - frankly I'm enjoying them - and now this to add to the woes.. & like millions of others, I heaved a sigh and said aloud to no one in particular, "God, why me? why today of all days?"
It all came in a sudden realization to me.. Its just not wishing each other.. Its just not about showing others that you think of them sometime.. its become more than just all that I could think of, as a reason personal between 2 individuals - its become part of the daily service almost like the first cup of warm water/tea/milk/coffee that people love to have in the morning.
Its become an essential service that people (or I) expect to happen normally so much so that we begin sensing distress if the practice is not kept up.. a sense of disorder / disturbance sets over our scheduled activities if the mailbox does not receive its daily quota of well-wishers' mails...
This has gone beyond wishing well, okay.. so guys 'n' girls out there who're addicted to send/receive "G'day!", don't feel privileged about yourselves.. 'coz all said & done people have to see such mails as signs that their friends are alive & kicking else there will be a situation that if a friend passes away we would like to see his/her computer & email ID listed in the obituary list rather than their own snap & name.. even the tombstone may read "Here lies Mr/Ms. John/Jane Doe's computer" in the inset "& his mailbox active from DD-MM-YYYY till the Nth day of MMM YYYY when he stopped sending or receiving G'Day mails".. Its a good practice to let friends know we're thinking of them, so pick up the phone & call them.. Get rid of these mails before they are deemed as a way of life..
Just trying to see what if that becomes the way fo life..
You walk in to the office. Even though you have passed one too many people on the road you didn't see them or smile at anyone, 'cause you were busy in your own world of mobile phone / radio / music(k) from iPod or just about anything else.. you were probably too scared to look in to people's eyes, smile at them & wish them JUST BECAUSE you'll lose your precious chance to send them their daily quota of "G'Day Mate!!" mail..
Ok, pass that off.. You do walk in and settle down in your chair facing your PC bravely. You switch it on & with an experienced amusement acknowledge all the signs & sounds emanating from your PC as a sign of it's life, you're the all too powerful being to control it anyway.. may be you resist the temptation to reach out & pet the computer, pat its head and stroke its lines and curves.. 'coz at times you adore it too..
You are ready.. Start the mail client, just as you hope the window opens. Your mail server begins the drone of updating your inbox with the current received mails from your mail server & this is the moment of truth you've been waiting for.. one by one regular mails, others' mails, My boss mails arrive and you anxiously scroll up and down looking for the 1 mail or 7 mails to announce that this day has begun & you have solid 8 hrs to look forward for.. you know this mail is the only thing that brightens you up..
ALAS! it's missing.. yes that mail is missing..
You sit perturbed & confused.. your torso looming over keyboard & staring in to the monitor.. you feel queasy first, then your body adapts to it until you realise you are uneasy & are shifting from side-to-side & your palms are itchy, fingers trembling over shaky keys, eyes twitching between every mail and your fingers working the Alt+TAB between several applications nervously awaiting the tell-tale sign marking the arrival of THAT mail bearing your close intimate human's (well-wisher's) "Good Morning" wishes..
"ARRIVED!!" your mind screeches at you when the very 1st Good Day mail pops in.. you around to see if anyone's been observing..straighten up & stretch self and brace for the unspoken command this mail has triggered in mass of tissue that you call brain. Technology is wonderful, it helps you connect people across millions of millimetres in a millisecond. You nod knowingly, 'coz now you will begin communicating with your friends & colleagues.. you reach out with your cursor to click the "Forward" button.. and smile with a relishing relief as your cabin/bay mate receives your mail and mutters a lazy "Good Morning" to you..
If this is you, I identify myself with you, with millions of you present out there.. this practice of voluntary acceptance of others bombarding our mailboxes and our reactive bombarding of some others' mail boxes could stop and we all could speak to each other, shake hands or give a high-five pump and wish each other..that could express a lot more warmth and care than forcing our friends to accept our only thought for their day or to struggle frantically reading our versions of love and care towards..
I've decided I'll send the Good Day mails only to my closest circle of friends whom I rarely see.. hope I'll keep away from this addiction & stop myself from the trance-like behaviour to forward one's Good Morning mail to millions of unsuspecting well-wishers..
