Photographs

Remember when the term "camera roll" actually referred to a roll of film that went inside your camera? I couldn't have been the only one who got super excited whenever the film was developed and ready to be picked up. That feeling is lost in today's world where everything is ready in an instant. The number of photographs we can take is now limitless and they are available as soon as we click them - for viewing, sharing, deleting and retaking. I'll be honest, there's no practical downside to this. It saves a lot of money, time and disappointment (if the photo isn't up to expectations). But I still can't help but miss the feeling of going through physical photos and albums. Awaiting the photographs to be developed or even awaiting a letter from a friend or loved one. Despite the convenience of the digital world, instant pics and messages don't give the same pleasure as those letters long awaited.
WhatsApp messages and snaps have become routine - monotonous, expected and even annoying at times. Emails have become business oriented and letters very few and formal. Slowly we went from penpals to epals to WhatsApp buddies. The limitless storage of digital era is it's brilliance as well as it's weakness. Who has the time to go through the millions of saved photos like we used to go through photo albums? Did you even look twice at the 200 pics you took at your best friend's last birthday? So much digital data is lost or forgotten. Our generation captures each and every moment but in our free time we back them up instead of browsing through them.
Let's be honest, one of the only times we go through our pictures is when a friend's birthday is coming up and we need something to post on a social networking site or simply a special profile picture for that day. We click, caption, post and then forget about it until the next year when Facebook sends us a notification saying "You have a memory to look back on today" which means we must share it with yet another caption. Nowadays we click more for showing and sharing rather than for seeing and remembering. People are desperate to increase followers and likes rather than cherished memories.
Soft copies may be more convenient and in sync with the modern world but there's something about holding a simple photograph that just can't be beat. 

Timeless

Imagine a world in which all the days merge together. Where there is no darkness to indicate the passing of yet another 24 hours. How would you adapt to this world in which there was no sense of time?
Suppose there were no time telling devices either. Would your mind be in a state of havoc or peace? On the one hand this would create a beautiful set of circumstances for one to free themselves of all restraints and relax - eat, sleep, do whatever, whenever for as long or little as you want. There's no "oversleeping" or eating "too soon" or "too often" since time isn't kept track of.
However, on the other hand for those of us well adapted to busy, fast paced routines this may be a nightmare. The workaholics would get a panic attack without things to be done and deadlines to meet. They'd lose their grip on reality and be in a state of disarray.
One of the most unique concepts of a world where time stands still is having to live in the moment. You can't call up a friend and plan to meet "tomorrow" or "this weekend" or "next week" or even "later" in the day because there are no clocks, watches or calanders to coordinate by. This concept of "living in the moment" forces us to appreciate the present and enjoy our life as it currently is rather than focusing on the future and trying to meet the expectations that others and we ourselves have set.
Obviously this timeless world could never exist because even without the movement of the sun the human race would eventually invent clocks and other time tracking devices. Ever in a race to create the "next big thing" which will improve our lifestyle and move us forward, time is at the heart of everything we do. Everything is coordinated and planned - even spontaneous trips and activities have a time limit by which they must end. Every day and hour is planned - when we sleep, eat, work, relax, etc. Days of worship, work, celebration and weekends.
But I still consider this timeless world as a type of Utopia which lets us look at what's in front of us rather than always looking ahead. A world in which every business is working all the time. Why? Because there is no fixed time to sleep so there's no rush hour and accordingly no time in which almost no one will require your service. Some may look at this as the half empty glass - to keep a business open all the time requires more workers and hence more money to pay their salaries. But I say that's exactly why the glass is half full! Keeping a business open all the time requires MORE workers and hence creates more employment opportunities.
Let no one be told they are "late" or that they failed to complete a task "on time". Let mankind be free of this burden so they may relax a bit and see the world as it is. For in our race against time we often fail or see - or rather look past - the cruelties of this world and focus the Utopia we picture for ourselves at the finish line.
The more I write about this timeless world, the more I become aware of its flaws. However I still hold to my opinion of its Utopic nature but perhaps as a get away rather than a way to live. I would elaborate on this but regrettably I'm "running late" for class and must go.
Perhaps next time.