I vividly remember when I was in basic training when I joined the Army back in 2010, a letter was like gold. Our whole company of about 200 people would gather round at the end of the duty day and open the mail bag. The sergeant in charge would yell out the name of the the person that each envelope was address to, and that person would run up to the front of the formation to get your mail. Those letters and small packages from home made your day. All day while out training or working, you would hope that there would be something for the sergeants to call your name for.
In these days I learned to really cherish a hand written letter. Even if it was typed on a computer and printed, it was still delivered to you by hand. It took time and effort to write a letter to another person, and for those moments when you are constructing those paragraphs, the other person is your whole attention. It's just you and them in that moment.
While drinking from the virtual fire hose, email is just the way of life. If you are trying to finish a deal or ask someone for a correction or even send words of encouragement, email is the standard form. In the year 2016, people can't fathom the idea of making decisions of communicating with other people via the postal system. We are in a time of needing information immediately. To wait for 2-3 days to receive a letter is a waste of time in our instant society. My husband and I recently purchased a home that was in a different state than where we were currently residing, and even all of those transactions were done through email or other virtual contexts. It completely runs our world.
My nostalgic self could pray every night that people could find the love and nurture that comes with hand written letters in the mail. I could wish that we could all just slow down. Send a letter and then surround ourselves with our environment while waiting to receive a response. While I know this is a subject that will only move forward faster than we will ever go back, a girl can dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment