There are few things in this life as valuable as our time. So in this era of micro-transactions, hyperlinks and unlimited access subscriptions, we needed to find a more effective form of communication. And we called it social media. It’s fun, it’s easy, effective... and it is destroying our society.
Think about what our social media sites say about us. Facebook: “Update the personal details of your life, so that when I have time I can scan through and see how you are doing.” Twitter: “I wanna hear what you’re up to! But keep it under 140 characters. I'm in a hurry.” Instagram: “Just take a picture… I don't have time to read about your cat.”
The problem is not that we have become casual about communication. It’s a fixation on efficient communication. Get the info you need and get out. How often do we think about a friend but instead of calling them up and getting a drink we check their “Wall” or Insta-feed, like a few of their posts, making no effort to contact them at all, and call it good. In a sense we feel more connected and “caught up” on their life. It takes no time and all, and now we can move on to other activities or “catch up” with even more friends! That seemingly infinite database we talked about now has info about our friends that only a few years ago we had to get out of bed for!
But this is a selfish and one sided. That friend has no idea that we cared enough to stalk them online because they didn't benefit from the time we gave them. This is why there is something to be loved about letters, because there is love in the act for writing it. When we receive a letter in the mail we instantly know that at some time, days or weeks before, the writer of that letter thought of you. At some time in the chaos of their life, for one moment, the clouds parted and your name was shouted from the void and it struck them so poignantly that they could think of nothing else until they released their thoughts in a letter addressed to you. Or, you know, maybe they remembered it was your birthday. Or maybe they stepped in some gum and remembered the story of you getting gum stuck in your hair and having to chop it all off. Right before school pictures! And like that gum, that story stuck with them. And every time they took a step and that gum pulled at their shoe, your name pulled at their mind. Then, while walking by an office supply store, they paused and thought how they would love to hear from you. So they bought some stationary and an envelope and wrote you a letter the next day and now that letter is in your hands.
Think about what our social media sites say about us. Facebook: “Update the personal details of your life, so that when I have time I can scan through and see how you are doing.” Twitter: “I wanna hear what you’re up to! But keep it under 140 characters. I'm in a hurry.” Instagram: “Just take a picture… I don't have time to read about your cat.”
The care, the effort, the time they put into that letter radiates from it. And when you hold it in your hands you think of how they held it too. And when you read it you can see past the words and look back onto your whole relationship, and maybe even into the future.
PS. Check out this board on Pinterest for some great stationary and greeting card inspiration.
PSS. (post-super-scriptum) If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy this article about social etiquette.
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