I knew I'd crack sooner or later. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but the time has come to speak out. Banal quotes and maxims on social media: let's give them a rest. Today's soundbite culture means that supposedly wise aphorisms - most of which are actually trite and silly - pop up almost daily on my phone, especially via Instagram and Facebook.
You know the kind of thing: "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight", or, "You'd lose your mind trying to understand mine, but I still want you to try", written in artistic typography over a filtered picture of the ocean. The people who post them clearly find them insightful, but I practically have to handcuff myself to avoid leaving sarcastic comments after them. The other day I saw one that said: "There isn't a person you wouldn't love if you could read their story." I doubt everyone who's read Mein Kampf shares that sentiment. Frankly, I've seen advertising slogans that make more sense. Of course, a lot of these quotes stem from a rather adolescent desire to make sense of a nonsensical world. The adults among us realise that life can't be summed up in a phrase you can fit on a t-shirt. Hemingway, a master of the terse observation, believed that great writing begins with one true sentence. But if you haven't got anything true (or at least new) to say, then I'd rather see a picture of your lunch.
