The Great Email Deluge: A Tale of Lost Connections
You Have Too Many Email Subscriptions And Let's Make Handwritten Letters Great Again
In the old days, when instantaneous communication was but a dream, messages traveled on the ethereal threads of telegrams sent in Morse code. In 1860, it cost $2.70 or roughly $100 in today's money to send a single telegram across country, an amount that could now bring tears to the eyes of even the most spendthrift among us. Those dots and dashes, like a binary onomatopoeia gone mad, filled the air, carrying missives with urgency and efficiency.
Then came the Pony Express, with its bullet-riddled shoot-outs and the audacity of those brave souls who risked their lives to deliver pretty parcels and labored letters. But this romanticized and temporary solution of communication could not withstand the march of progress. Intercontinental trains and telegraph lines emerged and merged, rendering the painted horses of the Pony Express obsolete after a mere 18 months.
And who can forget the bizarre tale of mail sent aloft in balloons? 500 pounds of precious cargo suspended in the heavens, lost to the winds and the annals of history.
Invasion of Digital Postcards
In the not-so-old days, postcards, those miniature telegrams of greetings, traveled slowly through snail mail. The purchase of 6.5 billion greeting and gift cards in America every year proves the enduring allure of this modern-day equivalent of a fancy telegram. And yet, hidden away in drawers and forgotten corners, lay unopened boxes of greeting cards, a testament to good intentions overshadowed by the busyness of life.
But these greeting letters ain't the same as handwritten letters stamped and mailed to friends and relatives. The incomparable thrill of receiving a letter from a long-lost friend. The elegant excitement of receiving handwritten news of a relative's newborn son. The grandoise greetings from a grandparent written in deliberately crafted penmanship. These are all reasons the mailbox outside elicits emotional responses.
Every American daily and dutifully checks their mailboxes, hoping for a connection, or even perhaps dreading a bill. The United States Postal Service processes nearly 24 million packages each day, even going so far as to email customers to announce the imminent arrival of their parcels. But amidst this sea of mail and junk mail, an insidious invader has arrived: Email.
The Soft Tyranny of Bluelit Screens
People today read emails with heads bowed and eyes glued to their hands as they wander through busy intersections, oblivious to the world around them. Restaurants have become unwitting hosts to a parade of solitary souls staring at screens, their food growing cold. And yes, even public bathrooms, those sacred chambers of solitude, now often temporarily house smartphones momentarily forgotten and resting on toilet paper dispensers.
Inc. Magazine once infamously proclaimed the imminent obsolescence of email, but billions upon billions of messages are still written, sent, read, and ignored each day across the globe. Emails have become ubiquitous, infiltrating every aspect of life. From dentists to groomers, mechanics to municipal courts, there is an email for every conceivable purpose.
The inbox, once a sanctuary, is now a battleground. Unread subscriptions flood in by the hour, each demanding attention with a blinking cursor. "Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe!" they cry, and suddenly, one finds themselves faced with an inbox overflowing with 10,000 unanswered missives. And don't forget the horrors lurking within the dreaded spam folder—an abyss of invitations to subscribe, a never-ending cycle of unwanted emails and the relentless pursuit of more subscriptions among subscriptions.
Resurgence of the Handwritten Word
Amidst the cacophony of digital chaos, it's time to resurrect the power of the handwritten letter. Let cursive or block lettered emotions and thoughts flow from pens, pencils, and notebook binders, reigniting deeper connections with friends and family. Handwritten words carry the weight of intention, sparking creativity and generating compassion in a world detached from true human connection.
In an era where heads are perpetually bowed to bluelit hands, we must reclaim our humanity. So, grab pen and paper and write a letter to a friend, allowing memories to dance across the page. Pen heartfelt messages to distant relatives, bridging the gaps of time and distance. And yes, pencil a letter to the mayor of Colorado Springs, urging an end to those dreadful parking enforcement schemes.
Today, communication has never been easier. We can reach out and touch someone with a mere click of a button, much like an old Mountain Bell commercial come to life. Yet, in this age of daily avalanches of digital postcards demanding subscriptions with spurious spam lurking in the shadows, perhaps it's time to take a step back. Send a handwritten letter today, with all its imperfections and charm. And then after a few days, in a moment of irony, send an email to ask if they got it.
But before all else, my dear readers, please do me a favor: Subscribe to this Substack. Then write a letter to someone and encourage them to subscribe to my Substack. This is the way!
We must remember that it is not the ease of reaching out that truly matters, but the effort we put into fostering genuine connections. Let's escape the drudge of digital email and embrace the intimacy of handwritten letters.
(And don't forget to subscribe!)