I just received my Mom’s annual Christmas letter in the mail today. This has been a tradition with her for, wow, I’m not sure how long – at least the last 20-25 years, and perhaps longer. As I was reading it, catching up on the familiar and unfamiliar news in her life, I was struck by how substantive it felt. My daily life is filled with dozens of emails that I receive from friends and strangers, but only rarely do I receive an actual letter from someone I know. And this one stands out among those; There is a nice hand-written note at the top, the paper, stationary really, has a faint outline of trees and birds in the background… it is obvious that my mom put a lot of thought and effort into this.
I thought about this, and about how I’ve never been particularly fond of writing letters. Emails, sure. And my fondness for blogging has been a nice and somewhat surprising discovery for me. But to go through the contortions of finding some paper to write on – I mean, aside from what’s in the printer tray – and the hassle of addressing and stamping an envelope, and trudging to the mailbox? Ugh, no, not for me. To call my penmanship “chicken scratch” would probably offend more than one barnyard fowl. It is better suited to the little yellow PostIt notes I jot on during phone calls, which are promptly swept into the trash can.
No, I am definitely of the email generation. Which, apparently, qualifies me as “old people” now. The young’uns, they’re all about IMing and blogging and MySpace, and other stuff they won’t tell anyone over the age of 17 about, I’m sure. My mom is obviously far more comfortable with writing implements than I am; my grandparents once used fountain pens on a daily basis, and not too long before them, quills and ink wells were de rigeur. (Speaking of which, ever wondered how to make a quill pen? Here ya go.)
I find myself wondering, “What was the last timeless document we produced?” As a society, we are more verbose, and more literate (in some ways) than ever before. Heck, it’s probably not unfair to say that the blogosphere produces more content in a day than the all of the combined writings of human civilization up through the beginning of last century. But are we getting smarter and more insightful, or merely diluting our output?
There is something to be said for writing tools and styles that require effort and deliberation. The most memorable reading experience I’ve had in recent years, The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, was written entirely using a fountain pen. And this from an author who is by no means unfamiliar or uncomfortable with more modern writing tools (i.e. something post electric-typewriter).
I wonder, would the Declaration of Independence be as meaningful if it was sent via email? What would a digitally-signed version of John Hancock’s signature look like? Will there ever be an email or text message so eloquent, so insightful, that it captures the hearts and minds of an entire generation?
One response to “The Tools of Generations”
“As a society, we are more literate than ever before”
Hardly…unless you’re redefining the word so as to extinguish its meaning. The age of print media, which your mother’s letter represents so poignantly, has been in decline for some time now, such that USA Today represents the upper end of today’s ‘literate’ writing, with authentic publications such as the New Yorker now mere fringe items appealing to a few old-guard dead-enders, such as myself.
What’s missing in the new-literati, if I may be so bold, is CONTEMPLATION. All of today’s new media forms are instant to the poing of stream-of-consciousness dreck, requiring neither thought nor preparation nor really much effort. Certainly no fact-checking, no research, no critical analysis, no depth. Not to mention that inexpressible something that you found in your mom’s Xmas letter.