Telegrams. Ever sent one? I haven’t either. I’ve heard that one had to go to the post office, wait in queue, and have a carefully-drafted, super short message written out. After all, you had to pay for each word – the news had better be important. It could take a day or two for your news to reach. For other exchange of news, there were inland letters, postcards, and greeting cards. One could always squeeze in a decent-sized letter in the white spaces of the greeting card and send it by book post. After all, a book post costed less than the standard inland letter. I have a bag full of letters and cards that friends have sent over the years. I can’t think of these as junk and I certainly can’t seem to get myself to throw them away. Once in a year maybe, I like to pull that bag out and get lost in those sheets of paper for a couple of hours.
I’ve never carried out a similar exercise with my old e-mails. I rarely, if ever, go back to previous mails. The irony is not lost on me – it is so much easier to search for mails in the electronic medium. I admit, e-mails, chats, posts on the wall, nudges, and pokes are all fun, fast, and oh-so-easy to send and receive. But I am convinced that these forms of communication have at best, a momentary effect. Where are the thoughtful, reflective letters gone?
I’ve never carried out a similar exercise with my old e-mails. I rarely, if ever, go back to previous mails. The irony is not lost on me – it is so much easier to search for mails in the electronic medium. I admit, e-mails, chats, posts on the wall, nudges, and pokes are all fun, fast, and oh-so-easy to send and receive. But I am convinced that these forms of communication have at best, a momentary effect. Where are the thoughtful, reflective letters gone?