Letter writing, a lost art

When was the last time you got a genuine hand written letter in the mail? Not one with a machine simulating handwritiiing, but a real hand written letter. Did you pay any more attention to it than to the junk mail or bills that were in the mailbox along with it? I’ll bet so.

With today’s computers, smartphones, e-mail, Facebook, texting, and tweets , convenience carries the day when we want to communicate, and invariably pen and paper get left behind. It’s a far cry from my fourth grade class with Miss Robertson when we still had inkwells in our desks. In fact, I understand that many schools today don’t even teach cursive handwriting; heaven help us when the power goes off and our kids need to communicate something in writing!

So why a column about letter writing today? Because over the weekend my one remaining uncle drove down from New Jersy to join me in visiting my brother in a Re-hab facility in Birmiingham. He’s an uncle who spent his whole career in drag racing and actually did quite well winning several national championships back in the 60’s . We had lots of stories to share in the ten hour round trip to and from Birmingham.

But even with all that face to face time, there were still some things on my heart that were left unsaid . So out came the pen and paper last night. Why not an e-mail? Because there is something much more powerful in a hand written letter than an e-mail. One that is delivered by the postman with a hand applied stamp (I would have said licked stamp but it seems they’ve gone by the wayside too!). I don’t know exactly why it is but a hand written letter delivers so much more emotion and passion than a text or a tweet or a digital whatever. Perhaps its because they’re so rare today.

In fact, The Heritage Foundation reports that after rising steadily for decades, first-class mail volume hit its peak in 2001 at 103.7 billion pieces, then began to drop. By 2012, the volume was down to 69 billion, about the same level as in 1984. I don’t know what it is now, but because of this decline there are all kinds of “Doomsday scenarios” for the US Postal Service all over the internet. I don’t know what to believe but common sense tells you that something will have to give sooner or later. Another bail out? I hope not!

But back to the power of pen. Surely you’ve heard the quotation “The pen is mightier than the sword”. Did you ever wonder who first penned those words? In a 2015 BBC News articlcle Allison Gee gave this account: They were were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu.

Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him, but as a priest he is unable to take up arms against his enemies.

His page, Francois, points out: But now, at your command are other weapons, my good Lord.

Richelieu agrees: The pen is mightier than the sword… Take away the sword; States can be saved without it!

The saying quickly gained currency, says Susan Ratcliffe, associate editor of the Oxford Quotations Dictionaries. “By the 1840s it was a commonplace.”

Today it is used in many languages, mostly translated from the English. The French version is: “La plume est plus forte que l’epee.”

I know that phrase is not meant describe personal communications; perhaps in this case I should say “The pen is mightier than the e-mail”. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why other than the relative scarcity of a hand written letter. But personal experience tells me that when I want to communicate a powerful personal message , it’s time to pull out the pen. Consider joining me the next time you really want to get someone’s attention.

Thanks for reading All About Seniors…..see you next week!

Bill Milby, CSA, is a Certified Senior Advisor and a Director of Visiting Angels® of Macon, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsMacon.

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