The World Doesn’t Tell You When It is Changing—Only That It Has
Like many things in our shared experience, punctuation is one of those quiet things that evolves without much warning. The rules shift, preferences change, and suddenly, you find out what you’ve always done is... “wrong.” There’s no announcement, no fanfare... just an unexpected wall that appears where you weren't expecting. You just get the memo one day (usually quite bluntly) and realize the world has moved on.
Take the two spaces after a period. Throughout my life, it was a standard of polished writing. A mark of professionalism and attention to detail. Then, one day, I was told (rather bluntly) that it was outdated. Just one space... please. Adjusting took some effort, but I’ve adapted. Still, I occasionally sneak in a second space... part old habits or maybe a little subconscious rebellion.
The ellipsis was next. What used to be a tool for dramatic pauses has transformed into passive-aggressive subtext. Suddenly, my thoughtful pauses read as curt or dismissive in emails and text messages. (I really had no idea!) I had to rethink my approach. OK, no ellipses—better clarity.
Then came the parenthesis exodus. Once a go-to for quick asides or a quirky observation, they’ve been deemed old-fashioned. So, I shifted to N-dashes or M-dashes—I embraced them.
And wouldn’t you know it? Now, I read that dashes make writing look like it was generated by AI. I suppose I don't mind if someone thinks AI has a hand in my writing so long as the message is clear. For now, I’m keeping my M-dashes. They’re efficient, expressive, and add a bit of visual drama. But I am informed and can reevaluate if they interfere with my intentions.
The world doesn’t announce its changes; it just moves forward with reinterpretation and recontextualization, ebbing and flowing through our shared experience. Adapting is essential, but it doesn’t mean letting go of everything. The trick is to figure out which changes compromise our intentions and which ones are fundamental to our beliefs and identity.
I'm thankful to those who let me know the world shifted beneath me. It gave me the opportunity to decide if I wanted to change along with the world or hold on to habits of the past. For me, that meant saying goodbye to double spaces, parenthesis, and overused ellipses. But, I can also decide with an open mind and an understanding of the change, to keep holding tight to what I believe helps me remain—authentically me.
Comentários