I have been reading an old book, a very old book, published in 1911 “Life Letters and Journals” Louisa M. Alcott. It is a collection of letters written by her to family members and excerpts from her journals. It gives such an insight into the real person. One letter reveals her excitement at being paid for an article she wrote for a magazine in her early days of writing.
She was outspoken and head strong for a woman of that time period and quite courageous. She speaks of her time volunteering at camp hospitals during the civil war and the horrors she saw. Fascinating reading and a real true look into the person.
It only gives a small sampling of her letters as apparently she had requested that most of her letters be destroyed. Perhaps they were too personal or contained events or feelings she did not want public but I am grateful for the ones she allowed to be published.
Do you still write letters? If you receive hand written letters, do you save them?
Will we have letters to leave for a window into our life? Will our ancestors be thrilled at viewing our old emails if they are still accessible?
The written word is a powerful thing and should be treasured.
I have a trunk in which I keep cards and letters I have received over the years and I enjoy taking them out and reading them.
I rarely receive a handwritten letter now but I have to admit I rarely write one either.
I wish we were not all so dependent on technology. It is so easy to send an email or text. Letter writing and phone calls have diminished over the years.
So the question is, what will we leave behind? Will our great-great-grandchildren have letters written in our hand to read and treasure?
When so much information is just a click away our communication skills are deteriorating. At least on a personal level. Children are no longer taught cursive writing. I made a comment about that the other day in reference to their signature. I asked how will they know how to provide a signature? Will they print it? The answer was, “It will be electronic, most documents can be signed electronically now and checks are rarely used”.
It’s the personal touch that I fear we lose. When you look at historical documents and see the signature of the writer it gives it authenticity. They way they formed their letters and the slant of their writing seem to give an insight into the person. An electronic document is just that, nothing personal.
Do you think we will revive letter writing or is the pen ever lost to the keyboard?
I am going to make a conscious effort to write a letter, not email or text but an actual letter in my cursive, sloppy though it may be, writing.
How about you?
