Old Hearts Love Fast

California Sunset by Paul Sapiano

Last weekend I went to Bandung with my friends for the Valentine-Chinese New Year celebration (well, not really, but I like to think so). We stopped at my friend’s place at the mountainside area of Cigadung to rest for a while before continuing the afternoon with our events. It was a breath of fresh air (literally) compared to the daily heat and business of the capital Jakarta.

Taking time off is important for our health and sanity, especially when we have demanding jobs and work in an artificial and highly metropolitan area like the capital. Therefore, this trip to Bandung also served as a mini catharsis to detoxify myself from the poison endured everyday living in the capital.

It’s also important to retreat ourselves from the interconnectedness that’s ubiquitous in today’s technology savvy society. With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media that allow us to be jacked in 24/7, going somewhere with no internet connection – or better yet, no cellphone reception – may be a good idea to try once every while. As I walked on the cool country road on the mountainside, I thought about that for a while, and I also thought about how our previous generations lived their lives, technology wise.

Old fashion romance

You see, with every new technology that later is adopted widely by society, our children come to think how did we ever live without that technology (such as cellphones or the internet, remember the days when they weren’t around yet?). Of course we see and accept, humankind has always lived comfortably with the technology available to us at the time we are alive. Yet we think we couldn’t possibly live without our Blackberrys and iPhones and Wi-Fi connection.

It made me think, how did the old hearts love? You know, the people who were living pre-internet (and by pre-internet, I don’t mean pre-1990’s, I mean pre-1950’s when the computer and internet was still a novel prototype). How did this old generation communicate, share their moments, and make new discoveries like new music or new television shows?

And most important, how did they love each other, when they were apart? In today’s world, we are addicted to instant replies such that if we don’t hear from our loved ones within an hour we start to panic. But the old generation, the old hearts, maybe had to wait weeks even months before they can hear a simple reply, handwritten, sealed, signed, delivered, from their loved ones. Doesn’t that teach you something about being patient?

Old school communication

That’s why I say old hearts love fast. Because they survived on what we would call today minimal technology: landline telephones and snail mail, old school romance style. They needed a great amount of patience and understanding to wait for the communication system of the world to bring their message to their loved ones and back.

Communication may be getting easier, but is it getting better? The argument is, of course, no: it’s not getting better. The tools only raise our frequency in communication, but not our quality in communication.

There’s something charming about old school romance, and how wireless (even electrical-less) it all was back in the day. I think we can take a lesson or two from the love stories of our grandparents and great-grandparents. There’s a lot of untold stories and a wealth of experience there.

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*One week late, but better than never (this one has soothing saxophones):

Something New by Endy Daniyanto

Although, based on the title “Old Hearts Love Fast”, “Love You So” might be a better soundtrack

[1] Photograph by Paul Sapiano. Because it’s simple love.