The Lost Art of Letter Writing!

I admit it, I sometimes miss some of the pre-technology niceties. Don't get me wrong - I love my Android phone, my laptop, my Kindle (sometimes), Facebook, and all the other technological devices that make our lives a bit easier, but one of the things I miss is letter writing.  Growing up, my family moved every few years, and I would have to leave my dearest friends behind. But they were never further than my mailbox. (Long distance calls were an unauthorized expense back then.)  I remember lying on my bed, writing lengthy letters to my friends and eagerly anticipating the next letter from them. Yes, today I can get instantaneous updates via email or Facebook on what my friends are doing halfway around the world, but I miss getting those letters in the mail and sitting down writing out a proper reply.  These days, my mailbox is generally full of junk mail.

What made me think of this issue? Today I was walking around town, window shopping and happened to walk by The Paper Patch, a local "purveyor of fine papers and stationery" and I tried to remember the last time I went shopping for stationery - something I used to do on a regular basis.  I would love going into my local stationery store and finding the perfect paper in which to place my "deepest" thoughts and mail them to friends who lived hundreds of miles away.  Although, I'm not sure how "deep" a 12 year old's thoughts are. But, hey, I thought my letters were filled with brilliant commentary. I miss this lost art. It also makes me wonder how these stores stay in business. Yes, people still send formal invitations for weddings, but beyond that is anyone shopping at stationery stores on a regular basis?

Additionally, it makes me wonder: in a hundred years, what evidence will be found of the great writers of our age? Are people going to keep the hard drives of our greatest minds and read every email for nuggets of wisdom?  I suspect not. In the past, the written words of some of our greatest writers and thinkers have been located and published for our perusal and enjoyment. Seeing copies of those hand written letters always gives me a chill.  But all that is gone. Yes, our lives our easier due to technology, but we've also lost some of the elegance. I suppose that's the price we have to pay.

[See follow up blog: A Passion for Correspondence dated June 5, 2012.]

A letter written by Jane Austen
to her sister