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By BILL THOMPSON
I got a letter the other day: a real, honest-to-goodness, personal letter that said more than “Hi. Having a good time. Wish you were here.”
It’s been a long time since I received a letter like that. It’s also been a long time since I sent a letter like that. Unfortunately, that is probably the case for most of us.
I read some time ago that “traditional” personal mail, that which is delivered by the postal service, is on the decline. It is being replaced by e-mail and telephone. Wouldn’t old Ben Franklin be surprised to find that the postal service that he envisioned as one of the most important functions of the new nation is now outmoded?
Some “communications experts” suggest that at some time in the future this traditional means of communication will cease to exist. And that would be a shame. We would be encouraging the demise of the written word as a tool of communication among people who are even now struggling to find a way to better understand each other.
I have to admit that it has been a while since I have written a personal letter that was more than just a note. I could say that it is because the amount of time available for such activity gets less and less. That’s true. I could say that it is easier for me to pick up the phone and call the person with whom I wish to correspond. That’s true, too. I could say I’m just too lazy to take the time to write a letter. That pretty much takes care of excuses.
But the decline in the practice of letter writing is more than the passing of a means of communication. Writing letters has always been a way for people to express themselves in ways not possible through other means. Think about the love letter, for instance.
The ordinary guy is not likely to say, “I am old. I am poor. My clothes are ragged. Water passes through my shoes but because you love me stars pass through my soul,” while talking to his girl on the phone. But with pen in hand and some time for contemplation and creativity he is more likely to come up with some phrase (probably better than that one) that will impress the girl of his dreams. Then he can write it down.
While e-mail may provide an interval of contemplation and creativity, the image of a lovesick swain composing such a paean while sitting before a computer screen is not in keeping with the romantic image that should accompany such activity.
The “letters from home” that have played such a large role in the lives of those of us who have been forced to leave the familiar confines of family and friends would not be possible if the place of expatriation is beyond the reach of phones and computers. I know that the likelihood of the absence of those technological marvels gets less and less likely each day but the possibility is there.
I hope letter writing does not disappear as a part of our social curriculum. It is a method of communication that allows for a certain amount of distance while conveying the most intimate thoughts. Looking at a computer screen is a lot different from holding a piece of paper that has been held by another human being. There is a tangible connection there, particularly if that piece of paper emits the smell of a special perfume you remember, if that handwriting is so unique that you know only one person could have written it, if the stains of tear drops on that page convey a feeling only you and the writer share.
It’s hard to tie up e-mail with ribbons and place it in a dresser drawer to open years after it was written and re-live the excitement you felt when you first received it. E-mail can’t be written in crayon by the hand of the two-year old child you haven’t seen in a long time. E-mail can’t be sealed with a kiss.
I’m sure that it’s cheaper to use e-mail. The price of a stamp is sure to keep going up.
But it’s worth it.