#ludite

Some people seem to think art will disappear now That we’re obsolete now Now that you can get a machine to do your feeling for you Poor empty husks

Feeling like mighty emperors Wearing the gowns of finest cloth So fine you can’t even feel it between your fingers So fine they can’t even be seen Poor empty husks

They think they can replace years of dedication With a few descriptions and a bit of empty patience Imitate fire with a picture of a flame Trade feelings with wire Replace the senseless with logic Psh Poor empty husks

Heh Hurt us, I dare you! Make us quit! Take everything you can! Edit it to your heart’s content Poor empty husks But you know. You know as well as I do You can try And try And try again Soullessly trying to be us But you know it’s impossible Poor empty husks

So I was wondering... would anyone actually want to see some lessons about how to unplug, and how to use analog objects for stuff we usually rely on our phones & tablets for? Would anyone like lessons on handwriting & manual spelling?

When I was at school, we had at least 4 handwriting lessons every week. We had to write everything by hand- math, English, French, Gaelic (our native language); we had to write essays & stories by hand. We were writing on paper & we also had our own whiteboards to write on. The teacher wrote everything on the vertical whiteboard & on the blackboard, and we were also taught how to write on them as neatly as we did in our jotters. We started learning cursive at 8 years old.

I'm now 26, I love using my calligraphy pen, and I'm writing 2 of my books entirely by hand before I'll transcribe them onto my laptop. I love making the stuff in my bullet journal look as aesthetic as possible. I love the smells of inks & books. I love manual photography & I like how cute compact cameras & polaroids are.

So the idea that these things are being whitled away is heartbreaking to me, and I know I'm not the only one feeling that way.

'Ludite' by Ilska S., 2025