Right now many people are keenly anticipating the imminent unleashing of Facebook’s secret plans as it prepares to ingest our personal data with its insatiable appetite. Meanwhile, Google is hatching its own plans.

These are two of the most powerful uber-consumers of today and they are contentedly feeding on the tasty morsels of our personal details. Furthermore, we are voluntarily feeding them information faster than they can digest our offerings.

Of course they purport to be helping us – for our own good and convenience. But are they really helping us? They seem more and more intent on gobbling up everything in their paths – including our very privacy.

Ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell?

He was the originator of the phrase “big brother” who he cleverly predicted would soon be watching us from every street corner.

I think the book may be worth a re-visit just for the fun of it because though his predictions were regarded as outlandish at the time, he didn’t even skim the surface of what was to eventually transpire.

But he did get one thing right. Big brother is certainly watching us.

Personally, I don’t want to be part of anyone’s data feed. And I particularly don’t want to be owned by the virtual soul seekers of today.

I prize my independence and I just want to be able to do my own thing freely and at a normal pace. I want to be in control of my own space and I want to be captain of my own ship.

Unfortunately there is so much clamour out there that we can’t even think straight – let alone be creative. It’s so much easier to do as we’re told. And that’s exactly why right now, more than ever, it’s time to take a deep breath.

We need to slow down the pace. We need to think before we divulge too much of our information. In short, we need to think more carefully about what it is that we really want and in doing so at least try to achieve some semblance of normality.

And if that means upsetting a dragon or two so be it!

Take the simple act of preparing a meal for your family. It may seem rather basic but in making the meal you are also communicating your feelings of love and your desire to give.

An artist does the same thing. He will communicate his inner thoughts and feelings through his paintings.

Joy and depression are easily discernible in a painting. Just think of the emotion in Van Gogh’s paintings. His depression is quite palpable in his portrayal of brooding dark clouds and black ravens hovering over a cornfield; while his happiness is clear to see in his paintings of lovely fruit orchards covered in a profusion of pink blossoms.

Musicians communicate their feelings through their music and as we listen we respond by experiencing similar feelings too. It’s a two-way stream – which is the essence of communication.

Just think of how we respond to Beethoven’s emotive music, or Chopin’s sad music or how the music of Scott Joplin makes us feel happy and carefree.

And not to be forgotten is the art of handwriting. We send and receive messages through our handwriting.

We don’t only communicate our feelings with the words we have written but the very art of handwriting is a conduit of communication expressing what we think and feel about life in general.

It can be very revealing.

You can check out the categories on the top right hand side for more about the revelations and hidden meaning of handwriting – which you may have noticed is one of my pet interests!

Our technological advances in communication are so sophisticated that we are even communicating on an interplanetary level.  Right now projects like Seti are broadcasting messages to outer space – Hello someone!

Fascinating no doubt. Unfortunately our ability to listen hasn’t kept up with our technology. In fact our listening skills were at their best when as spellbound clansmen we listened to skin-clad hunters relating their adventures around the cave fire.

Our listening skills have certainly deteriorated since then.

The reason is that our capacity to listen has been drowned out by the noise of our civilization. Noise has become so loud and obtrusive that we automatically shut it out till we can no longer hear it.

And so we no longer hear the noise of traffic and we don’t chat with friends at functions because of ear-blasting bands.

The honest truth is that we can’t hear anything above the loud hum of our civilization’s machinery.  Noise and frenetic activity have swallowed up the precious silence.

That is why we have learnt not to listen on so many different levels. But we pay a price for it – we become less perceptive.

And so we hear the conversation but we lose the meaning; we feel the beat but we don’t hear the tune; we see the glance but we miss the silent message.

It’s sad because understanding these silent messages is what real communication is all about.  And let’s face it  – if you are involved in any field of creativity at all, it’s vitally important to get through the noise so that you can hear the underlying message.