Wanted: Friends Who Write

We live in a technological world, one that allows us to communicate instantly. Through email, instant message, IRC, Twitter, Facebook, and tons of other platforms, a message we have to share can be spread to anyone in the world almost instantly. So it would seem odd, then – in fact, almost paradoxical – that as a world we’re less interconnected than ever. But we are.

How is this even possible?

As the world has become faster, the number of communiques we receive each day has increased. And yet the value perceived from those communiques has declined. In addition, the methods we used to use (sending notes, cards, thank yous, and wedding invitations) have become less common, as we’ve tried to replace them with electronic means, without realizing that the value of these things is in their personality.

No electronic note can replace the feeling of good paper and a hand-written message. And yet we’ve tried, desperately, to reduce the burdens of buying paper, stamps and ink. When a true note is exchanged between friends or lovers, there’s a magic to it that is lost in the electronic form. A card from a long absent friend, or a letter from a parent, all these things have an electronic counterpart, but no electronic equivalent.

My girlfriend and I regularly exchange love notes. She gave me stationary as a gift, a long-standing holdover of another generation but relevant for this one, too. I’m certain the postman has back problems, for all the mail she receives, of personalized cards, postcards, and letters. But she’s actually taken the time to cultivate relationships with friends, and she’s joyful every time she gets a letter. A technophobe she is not; she even has a Twitter account. She just knows the value of getting something in the mail.

This long-lost art doesn’t have to be either. Instead, we can all do better. A hand-written thank you note or a postcard from a trip is all it takes. The truth is that once you take the time to write, others will reciprocate. And they will appreciate you, too.

The original work of Brandon Savage.

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