Shakespeare, Thiruvalluvar, Gen AI and Copilot
I am glad lengthy commentaries are having a rockin’ good time in LinkedIn! And I am not saying this in any sniping sense!
My posts are always long! That has been me always, though I come from the land of Thiruvalluvar, a Tamil literary giant who was born long before Christ and is known particularly for his 1330 couplets (two-line rhymes) rolled into his masterpiece, Thirukkural, representing timeless, virtuous wisdom outshining geographical boundaries!
I may not have been wrong in my self-judgment that, despite my years of experience in professional writing, both corporate and journalistic, I still have skills gaps, the most important relating to what Shakespeare said about 500 years ago – that brevity is the soul of wit!
The quote will never fade away from history though it came through an evil, villainous character in Hamlet, Polonius, a name that comes close to that of Pontius Pilate!
I doubt, though, by brevity Shakespeare had one-liners with no soul or substance in mind!
As a playwright known as the Bard of Avon, his works continue to inspire the world – remember Google’s Bard, which has been rebranded as Gemini (that is the corporate world’s obsession with rebranding!)!
The point I am getting to is Shakespeare’s quote on brevity was made in the context of play dialogues. Misapplication of quotes from geniuses that will last forever will serve no purpose other than twisting their original intent and meaning!
More than 1500 years separate Thiruvalluvar and Shakespeare, with the two representing different genres and eras, yet their works have inspired comparative studies. There is even a book I know of that dives deep into them, Comparing Titans, Thiruvalluvar and Shakespeare, by Dr V Irai Anbu, published in 2015. I have not read the book, yet, I will have to buy a copy when I visit India next (it is not currently available in Amazon)!
A significant aspect of the life and times of the two most powerful writers in history is that they have had a contemporary impact, generation after generation!
Thiruvalluvar’s couplets (and Shakespeare’s sonnets as well as plays) convincingly dispel any misgiving I may have nurtured about what message can one liners or two-liners convey. They can make one think without inviting a mere chuckle!
One-liners alone do not make anyone CEO material. Ideas, sharp messaging, thought leadership and vision line the path to corporate glory.
As you can discern, this post also aligns with my habit of going long and, for the impatient, even sour.
I have loved short stories though I am not reading much these days. Somehow a short story by American author O Henry that I had read during my days at college is still fresh in my mind. “The Retrieved Reformation” is about a thief who escapes arrest when he was into crime but gets caught when he decides to lead a clean life.
I have not been confining my posts here to just a few sentences though I am aware that the attention span of people in the current digital era has become short. I do not care if I get tagged as a relic or “an antique thing”.
Not that I cannot keep my pieces crisp. After all, from secondary schooling till my Master’s, I have gone through the rigour of précis writing.
I believe verbosity is not in my repertoire. Short or long, if what is being communicated is meaningful, it will invite wholesome acceptance.
Of late, long posts have become the norm in LinkedIn! That amid some survey results showing that people prefer short texts and videos.
If they are interesting, inspiring and engaging, I give them a full read!
One-liners, two-liners or tomes, as long as they presage abiding value and energising reading, they will serve the intent behind them all, with eternity at its crux!
Suffice it to say that short is not always sweet!
G Joslin Vethakumar
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