The highest form of writing, poetry, has an impact on us because it depicts people in all their complexity. Poetry is one of the oldest forms of art and the creation of the human mind. It conveys a variety of human emotions, including friendship, love, death, and others. Poetry still holds the top spot in literature because of its tremendous ability to affect the world. Other literary genres like novels, plays, short stories, etc. still pale in comparison to poetry. Around the world, poetry is taught in schools and institutions, because poetry can evoke pupils' emotions and unleash their imagination.
Moreover, Poetry has always been a way for expressing oneself, not only emotionally, but also intellectually. It allowed humans to see what others were thinking and feeling without having to directly ask them. It provided them with a new perspective on the world that they had never had before. It will also define their emotional intelligence, creativity, spirituality, and level of success. Poetry can be used as a tool for personal development because it touches on all four of the aforementioned topics. Poetry has always been a long-standing tradition that has transcended time and culture. Though it is considered modern art, its historical significance dates back to ancient times, and its role in personal development is worth investigating.
There is no doubt that this art form has a significant impact on elevating the literary landscape. Recently, however, this rising digitalization world has reduced communication to constrained characters, less inventiveness, and straightforward readings. Imagine a time a decade ago when we sent letters to our loved ones by decorating them with beautiful words, but now imagine how much communication has decreased. Now we are sending a message by using very less characters reducing our thinking to just a tap on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, and other platforms like that. The ability for mischief to shuffle the actual contents is the second worst effect of digitization. Today, we see that the jumbled contents are spreading quickly online and endangering people's lives. The rapidly developing field of digitalization has allowed terrorists and nefarious organizations to spread false information and endanger humanity.
However, there is no denying that digitalization is reducing human creativity and mental capacity, but when we look at the past, we discover that some of the prevalent contemporary forms of producing, performing, and disseminating poetry were developed even before the invention of the computer (for instance, poets performing to music or poetry books being published with images). Oral poetry performances and readings are currently a common format. The poet's live performance in front of an audience serves as the main focus of this and is, of course, a reaction to digitalization. When we focus on the advantages of digitalization, we discover that several distinctive characteristics of digital media have an impact on how we perceive poetry through them. Text and visuals are now combined in digital media; we are now exposed to this innovation in our daily lives. In addition to this innovation, podcasts have combined audio and image to make this poetry far more innovative. The most important innovation that digitalization has brought about is that it has made poetry accessible to a large audience. If we ignore the negative effects of digitalization, then it is comparable to the arrival of print culture in the fifteenth century. In the 21st century, digitalization is promoting ideas as widely as possible, much like print did in the 15th century.
Poems, as we all know, have always been engrossing works of literature having the ability to convey a story or a message through their captivating rhythmic details. Remember the poem by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, which has become a protest anthem for all time. There are numerous instances where poems have altered historical narratives and altered the course of history. Similarly, the poem of ‘Kazi Nazrul Islam’ popularly known as ‘Bidrohi Kabi’ or ‘rebel poet’ became a source of inspiration during the Bangladesh Liberation War which ultimately made him the only person to appear on postage stamps in all three countries i.e. India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Recently, we saw this in the Bengal election, where Debangshu Bhattacharya's poem "Khela Hobe" shifted the narrative in favor of the Trinamool Congress.
As far as the significance of poetry in today’s time is concerned, let us try to understand this via this question. What makes poetry so significant in today's world? Today if you switch on the television then you find that the rating battle primarily aims to present the modern world as unpleasant, disorderly, violent, and merciless. Which made us think that; Is this a broken world in which we are living. Poetry can provide us with a means of understanding one another if we let it allow them to appear before us and welcome it. Poetry acts as a psychotherapist by fostering an understanding between us, leading us away from hate to love, from violence to mercy and pity. Poetry is a bridge it is a quick route to improving oneself and making the world a better place. It helps create a society where people’s value is coming together more than tearing one another down and apart by assisting us in realizing that we are not as dissimilar as we formerly believed. We are not alone in our sorrow, anguish, delight, or happiness, despite our differences.
Therefore, it has become vital for mankind to dip into the poetic waters in search of serenity and happiness in this age of globalization where everyone is in a race to advance while leaving everyone else behind. Poetry is like putting our hearts on paper; it expresses our emotions and thoughts, and when we share them, it helps us feel better. Because it is poetry that enhances our understanding and appreciation of the world around us, it is crucial. Poetry's power is in its capacity to cast a "sideways" light on the world, allowing the truth to creep up on humans. There is no denying it. Everyone should learn how to live through poetry.