A rather odd title for sharing this short missive- a good friend of mine who is past 65 years retorted that his reading habits had been curtailed by the difficulty in focussing on the script appearing in the law journals he used to read. That is a shame but you can’t fight macular degeneration that affects your eye sight with advancing age, though he was blaming the ophthalmologist who, not very long ago, had performed a rather successful cataract surgery on both his eyes.
As a senior citizen one has to be prepared for the eventualities of aging and society needs to be mindful of this in assisting the old in improving the quality of life of those who had contributed enormously to society when they were in the prime of age.
My lawyer friend’s lament was not being able to summarize the facts of cases he was working on as well as some ten years ago; memory has been failing and patience has been affected largely due to the time taken to perform research to prepare his cases for the courts. This has also affected his ability to put his thoughts into words. Another good physician friend of mind said that the mind must be kept busy; although he is reaching 80 years he makes it a point to write, putting into words his thoughts, lest they be lost forever. This same person introduced me to the section on writing novels in the month of November. Although I started the first page (one had to submit a portion of the proposed novel everyday of the month eventually ensuring that at least 50 000 words are completed) I failed to go beyond the third day!
As I was glancing through two books that I read recently (‘Churchill’s Empire’ and ‘Writing’ by Catherine Hilton & Margaret Hider) it dawned on me the power of writing despite the SMS designed Generation Y with the use of the mobile phone. Winston Churchill, the war time Prime Minister of Britain was a voracious reader and eminent journalist. He wrote extensively on his travels in India and Africa from the late 1890s as he saw action in the North West Frontiers of India (what is now the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border), the Boar War in South Africa and the English occupation Egypt and Sudan. In his earlier years and when he served as Secretary (Minister) in the Colonial Office and later as Home Secretary he firmly believed in the superiority of the whites and in Imperialism. The desire to rule as colonial masters was a notion he upheld for several decades. The nasty relation with the Blacks of Africa and Indians of India are well portrayed as he upheld his loyalist attitude to the English crown. However, he triumphed over Nazi Germany and played a pivotal role in ending the Second World War. But history will relate the problems that were created after the war in the birth of a new nation in Israel, the plight of the Palestine’s, the nationalism of the Egyptians and President Nasser’s nationalization program in developing Egypt and controlling the Suez Canal.
Churchill was a prolific writer even in his old age, and the power of his pen can only be evaluated from reading his chronicles and books, clearly reflecting on his views of dominant role of Great Britain. It brings me back to the subject of encouraging writing as a means of communication, and in the process writing correct English (what our colonial masters left behind). Undeniably English is now a universal language and we continue to be baffled by the changing policies in the country about the use of the language in the formative years of school education. I firmly believe that children have the capacity to learn numerous languages when exposed early in life. It should not damper the learning of other subjects. Anyway we could continue to discuss this controversial statement for ever without reaching a consensus!
Catherine Hilton & Margaret Hyder contend that the ‘aim of writing is to communicate ideas, thoughts, feelings or put messages across’; it does not matter who the audience is. Writing skill is unlike speaking as some formality is involved, one needs to place ideas in place, such ideas must flow in a logical fashion and there is time for one to construct the entire passage by reading over that which is written.
The differing point of writing when compared to speaking is that no interaction takes place. When there is interaction response are immediate and both the speaker and the audience are engaged. (Hilton & Hyder). In writing the writer holds the audience (or loses) depending on how the message is drafted. I wanted to begin by saying that my old lawyer friend who is clever fellow with a broad foundation in the English language would have spent the better part of his senior years writing. However, with age comes not only wisdom but disabilities as I have alluded to above.
Unlike the writings that appear in print, where the reader /audience are silent, the multimedia including blogs permits the audience to respond and put their views together and respond to the writer. This interaction is different from that one engages with a live audience but the writer has the opportunity to feel the ‘pulse’ of the unseen audience though comments sent in by readers (in blogging).
Use of the computer has had a positive impact on writing ( the font size can be increased at your whim and fancy) and spell check gives us confidence in moving on at a faster rate especially we old ones who are still down to ‘two finger typing’. The dictionary and thesaurus are at hand and corrections are easily done. Many senior statesmen continue to write till their ripe old days. The former Indian President Radhakrishnan was an exponent in writing as he was recognised as a great philosopher. Mahathir Mohammad, the former Malaysian Prime Minister was not only an astute statesman but a prolific writer and continues to pen his thoughts.
Writing skills develop with continued use of language to express one’s thoughts and feelings. One should not be afraid of using his writing skills to express views and beliefs. The reader can judge and decide to accept or reject views expressed. The aging mind must be occupied and expressions through writing are one effective way, I believe.
Sivalingam Nalliah 20 Nov 2011
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