As a member of the “chronically online” Generation Z, I am well acquainted with how technology seems to be fused with the human hand. I discovered the art of letter writing four years ago, when I began a pen pal correspondence that has since flourished into an irreplaceable friendship. I believe handwritten notes are an essential tool to combat the loss of interpersonal relationships and strengthen offline connectivity, especially in the remote Roaring Fork Valley.
“Letter writing?” you may ask. “Why? Who has time for that? Isn’t it impractical?” Put simply: yes, it is. But what if I told you inconvenience is one of its most valuable assets?
Within a society that places such an emphasis on time, orienting our days toward maximum productivity, our actions have lost an element of thoughtfulness. I, too, am guilty of limitless to-do lists and cram-packed schedules. Admittedly, I even pencil “send letters” into my calendar. Yet handwritten notes offer something our efficiency does not: space for reflection.
In our age of instant gratification, we now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, averaging at a whopping eight seconds.
This inability to focus on any one task for prolonged periods of time results in a constant mental hopscotch. Social media platforms, such as TikTok, have reduced our ability to fixate on longer media. Handwriting, by contrast, acts as a litmus test: is what you wish to say worth the time it takes to labor over each word?
The process is slow, and therefore demands consideration. When you purchase stationary, scrounge around for a pen and lament over imperfections, you are forced to think critically on what is worthwhile.
Handwritten notes, more broadly, are easily misinterpreted as selfless. On the contrary, letters are a reciprocal relationship, bettering both the sender and receiver. Not only will you benefit from
furthering intimacy through written correspondence, but you may also find introspection therapeutic.
In fact, the perks are boundless. Letter writing is a meditative practice: you may articulate your thoughts, allow yourself to rest in an ever-moving world and find peace in the repetitive scrawl upon a blank sheet.
For both parties, letters function as a written record, with a physical performance that is evident throughout history. Handwritten notes also stimulate creativity and imagination by engaging with the senses.
Though a quick “happy bday” or “how r u?” text may suffice, a handwritten message requires the investment of time. If time is money, then more value is placed in letter writing, representing a higher caliber of thoughtfulness.
Nonetheless, I am not encouraging a social media purge. In fact, there is much good to be said of instant messaging and the communication barriers technology bridges. Only next time you reach for your device, consider what value a thank-you card, letter, postcard or even a “thinking of you” memo note may hold. Letters are written not for the sake of practicality, but instead to open windows into the soul. Opt, however briefly, to be a snail(mail) in a world of attention-deficient goldfish.
Natalie Stephens is a young, homeschooled local to the Roaring Fork Valley. She has taken classes at Colorado Mountain College for numerous years and studied at programs abroad and plans to matriculate into college next year.