Times change, of course, with new levels of technology and ways of behaving being introduced into our lives constantly, and due to that the ripple effect tends to make an impact across most of our daily lives in ways we can't even foresee. One thing that shouldn't really change, though, is the basic human desire and need for communication...and yet it has.
One thing that always stands out and irks me in modern life is the idea of "ghosting" someone. This is fascinating albeit in a very negative way. I've never understood it personally and strangely most people who tend to do this activity use the excuse of "...I don't have time for...". Ironically, I probably have less time than they do and yet it doesn't take that long to simply give someone an answer on something or have a bit of a discussion where needed. Still, this does seem to be a lost art. Ghosting also seems to be a thing whether it's someone you barely know or a friend of 10+ years.
When it comes to art, one area that I advise not ghosting is with your fellow artist(s). If you happen to know someone who is an artist type, say musical or film or a writer, etc., and if they so choose to share their work with you, you should absolutely a) make it a priority to check it out in a timely manner and b) respond back to the artist in one fashion or another. I mean, this kind of seems like a no brainer, right? The truth here is that the artist has put countless hours of their time and effort into their creation and apparently they think highly enough of you, the person they're sharing it with, so it's really not something to ignore.
I recently had an incident where someone was asking for me to share some of my not yet "hardened" work with them, something I usually don't really like to do for the obvious reasons. Still, I obliged due to the request, shared the links, and...well, dead silence...and ultimately no response. So, what's the big deal, you ask? Well, no one had actually heard this material yet and now the very first person that did disappeared and didn't feel the need for any sort of response. This of course triggers a series of unnecessary internal responses, such as 1) second guessing myself and the new material and 2) not feeling the greatest in general. Yes, no joke...this still happens...even hundreds of songs later. It's called being human, I think.
Whether I like it or not, this inevitably makes me start wondering if said person didn't like the song, but if so then why? Well, there's no answer, of course, because there was no answer. Or, was it something else? Hmm. As you can see, this is a lot of wasted energy that's brought about by someone else's lack of consideration, to be frank, and nothing to do with me personally. Luckily, I'm experienced enough (aka old) to be able to talk myself off of my own ledge. It also leaves me rather inclined to raise two middle fingers towards said individual.
I know we live in an age where especially younger folk think that "ghosting" is not just easier but completely appropriate. Well, let me tell you...it's not. In fact, it's things like that which have been bringing our society down all around us for years now. So please, stop contributing to the problem and, er, do the right thing....for it's everyone's responsibility, whether you think so or not, to be decent to those around you. After all, that is the simplest task we can do and it actually doesn't take that much effort.
I know we're all guilty of forgetting to follow up in a timely manner with someone, myself included, at one point or another. Again, it's called being human and being caught up in this lunacy that we tend to call "life", and it's okay to an extent. Still, let's collectively do what we can to be kind to one another. I think we need that more now than ever.
