One of the things that I look forward to most when a day starts early.

Prayer in the Morning

Since last month, the world has gone out of control. The quake and its unfolding aftermath in northern Japan, the outbreak of warfare in the Middle East and the prolonged recession in global economy all have made the rest of 2011 difficult to look forward to. It has been almost a month that every morning the relay of news on BBC has inevitably resulted in anxiety, emotional upheavals and wrath.

The uncertainty in the air has made concentration on work almost impossible. Despite all the turmoil, there is one’s individual track of like to carry on.

Here I pray that I would calm down,
For only when the self is sober
Can a better understanding of the world be achieved.

I pray for positive thoughts,
For negative imagination will only shadow the future.

I pray that I feel contented
Because I have more than enough of everything
From my family and friends to live on.

I pray that I am more loving
To return the care and affection that I have received.

I pray that I am more understanding and wise
For parents only express thoughts of concern and care
And never harm.

I pray for sanity.
Even though K is Japanese,
He is not the one to blame for the current nuclear crisis.
He is an excellent listener and companion at all times.

I pray that I will be more capable
To be helpful to the needy.

I pray for a piece of peaceful mind,
For it is time to return to everyday life
And make myself a better being.

Writing

I do like the end-of-year custom in Japan according to which people exchange postcards with friends, colleagues, and family members to inform each other of the year past and celebrate the year to come. Many of the young generation in Japan, however, find it tiresome, environmentally unfriendly, and unnecessary. Messages through mobiles, or social networks, are believed to be more up-t0-date and convenient.

I have been a big fan of handwriting, a practitioner of letter-writing, and a faithful supporter of postal system. Therefore, there is no single sign of cultural shock for me when I was initiated to this.

Due to the late closure of the term in December, my scribal activity finally started with hand-making postcards in January 2011. At first, I came up with a design that was supposed to facilitate easy reproduction making use of Japanese colored papers and a rubber stamp of a backward-looking bunny (for the year of rabbit). There were several variations of the same pattern in my mind, and I was convinced that it would only take less than an afternoon to finish. In the end, it took me three days to measure, cut and paste papers, write messages, sort out postage, and have them sent.

It feels just like a ritual for me to stop everyday routine, sit down, open my handwritten address book, and spend time writing to friends. Sometimes messages would (accidentally) get lost somewhere in the communication and fail to return to me, and which can be quite heart-breaking. I do admit that it is anxiety-making when waiting to be heard and replied. And sometimes, the thought of being forgotten looms lalrge and eventually becomes the reality. Nevertheless, this old-fashioned means of communication is still much preferred for me to online messaging tools.

Last year, I was advised by an acquaintance on the disadvantages of not joining any instant messaging networks online. The drawbacks, according to him, are mainly that the informality of messaging tools makes communication more transparent and efficient, problem more easily solved, and interaction more actively conducted; conversely, the bureaucratic formality of email, or mail in general, often delays the clarification of problems and postpones to an unseen end any solutions.

To be honest, I do not agree with any single point that he made.

Of course, it is undeniable that email is less popular than any current messaging tools these days, and unfortunately I have lost contact with some people since I withdrew from the scene of MSN messenger. However, in a world dominated by fast-food communication like the current one, all can be said, but most are forgotten. The fragmentary nature of the communication that the current messaging software provides really confuses me. I do wonder if the communication by such means is really more efficient or sincere. Or, it actually uncovers the fact that communicants nowadays care nothing but the result, nothing but the informal fun, and nothing from their communicating partner but the bits and pieces of their own thoughts.