Letters Lost
I read an interesting article the other day about how technology is changing our lives--and not always for the better. So allow me to play the neo-luddite for a few minutes. I love technology as much as the next guy, but there comes a point when we have to take some time to think about what it's doing to us.
It seems like only yesterday that I finally broke down and got a cell phone. That was three years ago. At that time it didn't really matter if I could be reached at any second of the day or night. And come to think of it, it still doesn't. True, it's a convenience, but at what price? Yes, I can always turn it off, but do I? No. I might miss a call that way.
It's staggering to think about how much life has sped up during the past few decades. Are we any better for it? Maybe, but maybe not. Now we can get everywhere and do everything so much more quickly, but where is that extra free time the computers were supposed to give us when they took over all the mundane, time consuming tasks? The truth is, instead of having more time we now have less. Instead of using technology to allow a new period of enlightenment, society has become enslaved by it. We need everything immediately, because we are so accustomed to having everything at our fingertips. We've lost our patience along the way, and perhaps a piece of our humanity with it.
Do you remember that time when people used to write letters? I hear a resounding, "what's that?" from the younger generation. One of the great things about letters was that you could hold onto them. People would keep the important ones, and they would get saved and passed down as a way to remember those closest to us. There was also something ultimately thoughtful about putting pen to paper and actually writing. You had to think about it before you committed to words, unlike the e-mails that people sometimes send off on a whim now. Oh, and on a side note, the convenience of e-mail hasn't even made me any better at writing people back. To anyone waiting for a reply from me, I'm sorry about the slow response--I'll get around to it...
Last weekend I actually spent a lot of time writing letters. I had just come back from sponsoring a confirmation retreat and was asked to write to the students in my small group. It really makes you think differently when writing that many letters. I would even say it was enjoyable. Hey, maybe that experience will make me turn over a new leaf and start writing real, honest-to-goodness letters to everyone I know. Yours might already be in the mail! But don't count on it...I think my cell is ringing for me.
-chc
It seems like only yesterday that I finally broke down and got a cell phone. That was three years ago. At that time it didn't really matter if I could be reached at any second of the day or night. And come to think of it, it still doesn't. True, it's a convenience, but at what price? Yes, I can always turn it off, but do I? No. I might miss a call that way.
It's staggering to think about how much life has sped up during the past few decades. Are we any better for it? Maybe, but maybe not. Now we can get everywhere and do everything so much more quickly, but where is that extra free time the computers were supposed to give us when they took over all the mundane, time consuming tasks? The truth is, instead of having more time we now have less. Instead of using technology to allow a new period of enlightenment, society has become enslaved by it. We need everything immediately, because we are so accustomed to having everything at our fingertips. We've lost our patience along the way, and perhaps a piece of our humanity with it.
Do you remember that time when people used to write letters? I hear a resounding, "what's that?" from the younger generation. One of the great things about letters was that you could hold onto them. People would keep the important ones, and they would get saved and passed down as a way to remember those closest to us. There was also something ultimately thoughtful about putting pen to paper and actually writing. You had to think about it before you committed to words, unlike the e-mails that people sometimes send off on a whim now. Oh, and on a side note, the convenience of e-mail hasn't even made me any better at writing people back. To anyone waiting for a reply from me, I'm sorry about the slow response--I'll get around to it...
Last weekend I actually spent a lot of time writing letters. I had just come back from sponsoring a confirmation retreat and was asked to write to the students in my small group. It really makes you think differently when writing that many letters. I would even say it was enjoyable. Hey, maybe that experience will make me turn over a new leaf and start writing real, honest-to-goodness letters to everyone I know. Yours might already be in the mail! But don't count on it...I think my cell is ringing for me.
-chc
4 Comments:
Powerful article you linked to, Char. Very thought-provoking.
Let me know your travel schedule for Thanksgiving.
I feel lost without my cell phone, constant access to the internet, and my AIM. I think that's a bad thing.
It is really sad that future generations will not have the rich family history left by past generations through their letters. Your Grandfather Corbett still lives, in a way, through his writings. We can still experience his triumphs and his tragedies, and the way life was a hundred years ago because he left us his letters and his musings in his diaries.
As you pointed out, e-mails are transient, and quickly written without the thought that one gives when writing a letter. Telephone calls, although beneficial as instant communication, leave nothing for the future. We all should, at least once in awhile, leave our thoughts in writing so our descendents will know who we were.
I'll let you know, tom. It looks like we're running out of Chicago as soon as I get in on Wed. We might have some time to meet up on Sunday though, depending on the timing.
I know what you mean Steve. I'm going to need a new phone soon, and I've been thinking about the ones with AIM and e-mail built it. Come to think of it, that's almost every phone now anyway...
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