A refuge for the impulsive, an escape route for the chronically undecided and serial thinkers, a technological shield to protect us from ourselves. Very soon gmail, the Google-branded e-mail giant, will offer its many users a new service: the possibility of cancel sending an email within a maximum of thirty seconds.
A short time, but still useful. At least in the earliest cases of repentance, those in which the mere gesture of pressing the enter key, through which we realize our fantasy, is able to warn us that that fantasy is not a correct move.
And then, reverse. She goes back, and friends as before. We will be able to eat back our vitriolic words to an arrogant boss or a lazy subordinate, or our confessions of love (who knows if there's anyone who confesses via email) or our nasty comment about a friend who isn't such a friend after all.
Reverse, to escape one of the most common traps when we communicate via email: the dreaded and notorious "reply to all" in group emails, when in reality you would like to reply only to someone.
Think again, therefore, because often the first thought is not long enough and thirty seconds more, even if they are not one night, can bring advice. Because it is human nature to act on impulse and immediately regret it. Because only sending makes our ruminations real and only at that point can we finally realize that the fruit of our most instinctive thoughts is destined to remain in a written and perpetually unchanging form.
At that point we will not be able to retract and we will not be able to say that we have been misunderstood (although we will try anyway). Card sings. From today, however, even if we are unable to count to ten before doing something, we will be able to count to thirty after doing it. And then take it all back.
