Get the ink out. Spread out a sheet of paper. Write a message. Roll the parchment. Find a glass bottle, which has been emptied of its liquor content. Uncork it. Stuff the parchment into the bottle. Cork the bottle. And set it upon the sea.
The bottle bobs endlessly to the rhythm of the sea. Probably in sync with the heartbeats of the message writer, who watches the bottle float away. Some unknown day, some unknown hand will find the bottle. Or probably never.
Is setting of bottle on sea an act to create own personal mystery?
There are social networking sites. Orkut is popular in Indian subcontinent. Each person has a profile page. All the info on the page is a snapshot of the person's life. The page is one among the millions of pages "floating" on the web. Is it the same charm as that of "message in a bottle on sea" which drives one to fill out the page? The details, the witticism, the testimonials, the photo album - all put in to present the unknown visitor a glimpse of the owner's life.
Reaching out to unknown and making ourselves known has been a consuming passion for mankind. The same can be seen in the names people scratch on rock faces, archaeological monuments and classroom benches. The same can be seen when a lesser known painter signs-off his/her painting, when a caller on a radio show makes sure that his/her name is heard on air, when the good samaritans put their name plaques in temples/hospitals to which they have donated, when the Roll of Honor dazzles the name of Gold Medalists of previous years, when anonymous Marines scribbled "Kilroy was here", when NASA sent probes to deep space with plaques carrying message from mankind.
The brief moment of attention from a stranger - oh so elusive and precious.
You know what, I just had one :)
The bottle bobs endlessly to the rhythm of the sea. Probably in sync with the heartbeats of the message writer, who watches the bottle float away. Some unknown day, some unknown hand will find the bottle. Or probably never.
Is setting of bottle on sea an act to create own personal mystery?
There are social networking sites. Orkut is popular in Indian subcontinent. Each person has a profile page. All the info on the page is a snapshot of the person's life. The page is one among the millions of pages "floating" on the web. Is it the same charm as that of "message in a bottle on sea" which drives one to fill out the page? The details, the witticism, the testimonials, the photo album - all put in to present the unknown visitor a glimpse of the owner's life.
Reaching out to unknown and making ourselves known has been a consuming passion for mankind. The same can be seen in the names people scratch on rock faces, archaeological monuments and classroom benches. The same can be seen when a lesser known painter signs-off his/her painting, when a caller on a radio show makes sure that his/her name is heard on air, when the good samaritans put their name plaques in temples/hospitals to which they have donated, when the Roll of Honor dazzles the name of Gold Medalists of previous years, when anonymous Marines scribbled "Kilroy was here", when NASA sent probes to deep space with plaques carrying message from mankind.
The brief moment of attention from a stranger - oh so elusive and precious.
You know what, I just had one :)
3 comments:
"The brief moment of attention from a stranger - oh so elusive and precious."
It's not surprising that we crave for that anonymous attention ...
for you urself are just another anonymous face in the sea of faces ... you tend to lose your own baggage, and start resonating with the rest of the world ... u just feel so connected in life ...
btw i'm tempted to use ur last line now :)
I leave messages in bottles. Poems. Just thought you might want to know who your stranger was. Thank you for your thoughts.
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