Letters and Emails

In recent years, with the increasing prevalence of personal computer use, handwritten letters are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Is this a good thing? I would say it’s a mixed blessing.

My parents, after their brief initial meeting, conducted their courtship through the mail, each writing daily letters to the other. They had the pleasant feelings of anticipation each day as they checked the mail, they could see the other’s handwriting, which made the mail that much more personal. Best of all, the letters could be read anywhere, and they could be saved, to be read over again any time they chose. Indeed, a few of my parents’ wartime letters survive to this day.

I took to letter writing at a young age, when we moved to another state in the late sixties. I didn’t want to lose touch with my friends, but frequent long distance phone calls were too expensive, thus out of the question. At my parents’ suggestion, I began writing letters, at a time when a stamp cost only five cents.

Over the years, I’ve corresponded with quite a few people: friends, relatives, and lovers. And I must admit, I still feel satisfaction every time I see personal mail when I go to the mailbox, most recently being birthday cards from Infamous J.

But I have to admit that I no longer write regular letters to anyone. And I think that’s a shame.

But don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against email. It’s a wonderful tool, which I’m grateful to have. I remember when I first thought of getting a computer, I was eagerly looking forward to the novelty of being able to send instantaneous letters.

However, like anything else in this world, email is both a boon and a bane. The swiftness of email is probably its biggest selling point. On the negative side, spam clogs our inboxes, just as junk mail does in our snail mail boxes. And all of us know “email junkies”, people who incessantly forward cute, sappy stories, jokes, chain letters and the like. Stuff like that immediately goes in my “trash” folder, unread.

And now, even email isn’t quick enough. I find myself, more often that not, chatting with people on Instant Messenger, both AOL and Yahoo, and emailing less. There’s just something about real time communication that can’t be beat. But I supplement that with emails for pictures, stuff that takes more than a couple of sentences to say, and the like.

But I still miss the pleasure of getting a handwritten letter in the mail.

Thoughts?