The phrase Keep In Touch makes me go konkers! It is the single most puke-inducing phrase on earth. (And its as trite as 'Fine'. You know 'Fine'? the answer that you give when you are asked 'how are you'? that 'Fine')
Now why is 'Keep in Touch' so bad?
1. What is the crux of keeping in touch? Talking from where you left? Asking about what you are doing currently? And this entire joke, about 'where are you working' is such a sham. Nobody in their right mind remembers the company you work in, unless that is their own aspirational company. So you could be working for one of the toughest and most competitive metals trading firm, but most people wouldn't remember or care about it, because that's not where they want to work! And its perfectly fine, not knowing another person's company details. But why the conversation filler about 'which company do you work for? ' (It is a completely different matter that a metals trading company will spend virtually zilch on branding in conventional media, but then who is to explain that to these people?)
2. Keeping in Touch is a prerogative. Its not a compulsion. But Keep in Touch is directly proportional to social status of that high school stud that has just moved to town. So if you don't keep in touch with the super popular guy in town and instead roam around with the braces wearing, small college studying guy, you are a jerk! All humans have friends other than their Face-Keep up with the Joneses-Book friends. People move on, make new friends and have fun with them. Its not necessary that they will have the same fun with you as they did in high school and college. And if they don't, it does not mean they are psychos, it means you are a psycho who gets the thrill out of degrading other people.
3. Have you,who wants the world to keep in touch with you, ever thought about the idea of perception? There is a major possibility that people don't keep in touch with you because you aren't their kind, or don't share the same vision. People are very finicky when it comes choosing good,sane friends you no? Such kind of people are also called successful people.
4. Just because person A was a loser in high school or college, doesn't mean he/she is the same now. Do the math and you will know that each added year adds some level of maturity and experience. And just because girl C sports a red hair do and hangs around clubs all day long, doesn't mean she is a social outcast. And if the most successful classmate calls red-head as opposed to pompous social stud, he isn't insane, he is just exercising his right to a phone call!!
What is the purpose of this post? I say, nothing. Because people don't change so easily. And it is just my way of venting out steam that has been inside me for long, with respect to stupid modern day social obligations. Why do we even want to keep these niceties amongst us? And what do we even want to know about our friends? Gossip, or information that will help us compare with other friends to see where we stand on the social ladder? And do we keep in touch so that we can dish out maximum gossip when a group of friends gather together? Why do we even ask which car they are driving these days? So if its a better model, we can act all small inside and call them 'rich people' or if its a cheaper model, we can look smug with our own success?
Is keeping in touch about emailing friends, the bullet point format email with your achievements? Or is it about talking about an immature guy from school who is still the same? Is it about cribbing about your job? Or is it about having conversations that mean something? Or sharing experiences?
I feel keeping in touch is a voluntary activity. With each passing year I have realized that this voluntary activity is becoming a chore. Who I am in touch with is also voluntary and not subject to any judgement.
To sum up, as my close friend and philosopher once said,
"I think the only kind of people worth interacting with are the ones you don’t have to be nice to. They are the kind of people I want to be nice to"
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