We are slowly losing the ability to write. Not in theory, but in practice. Sure, everyone can still "write" in the way that putting thoughts into words into sentences into paragraphs is "writing". But no one actually puts pen to paper anymore. It is popular, though, to praise the counter culture trend which boasts of the benefits and intimacy of the long hand letter writing process. "Nothing is better than getting a handwritten note in the mail", explains the every-person who just wrote a letter and felt good about it. You know what else feels good? Getting the information in said letter to its recipient in less than a couple of days. Yes, the USPS does a great job, but the system of tubes that we have named the internet crushes our loyal mail-people. Split second vs few days: it is no contest. There is no Romanticism about an email, however, so people will continue to wax poetically about the methods of the past.
Will email ever be looked at in a similar nostalgic way? We are headed towards a world where email becomes the slow dinosaur. Connections are even faster now. Why send an email when you can text or tweet or SMS or Facebook message or use any of the other countless instant gratification methods of communication? When I am aging into my autumn years will I set my grandchild upon my knee and say "Son, in my day any man worth his grain would take the time to sit down and craft a thoughtful email. Nothing is more rewarding that opening up a new message which just hit your inbox. Those were the days".
