Letters from the heart

It's really true. Handwritten letters mean a lot more than a Facebook post/message, email, or text message. The only real problem is the lag time. But such a challenge makes it even more novel, yes? I have a friend who took it upon himself to write to select friends as regularly as he could. In the beginning, I felt I couldn't keep up and I was always too busy to respond in a prompt manner. Like a friendly obligation. But over time, the letters became more meaningful and I realized how little effort I tended to put into some of my more beautiful friendships. Every envelope from a friend became a wonderful gift and supplement to my well-being.

I'm guessing the meaning of "pen pal" is going to be as outdated a concept to future generations as outdoor drive-in movies are to the 90's generation in Cali. It's something to be experienced but its true significance and meaning will have been lost by the dynamic and ever-changing cultural norms. Sure, a drive-in movie is a pretty novel experience if I ever get the chance, but I'll never know just how much of a cultural impact it had when they were popular (and when there was enough land to dispense for these purposes).

Think about the birthday notifications on the top right sidebar on your Facebook home page. A nice waterfall of "Happy birthdays" is collectively wonderful for some but others find it absurd and meaningless. That in itself could represent the subtle controversies of the information age.

Think about the old friends that pop up in your head from time to time. For the information age, it's "I'll Facebook them" or "I'll send an email their way." The gesture is effortless and fairly quick and for the recipient, it's but a pleasant feeling to know someone thought about him/her. But personally, it seems like so much more to send a handwritten letter these days. It's not just a pleasant feeling for the said recipient. It's a surprise that touches the heart.

Ultimately, despite what I've said about the current norms, I'm pretty hopeful that the meaning of friendship will never become a lost concept. The truth of the matter is we can't write letters to EVERY single person that means something to us, although it would be convenient to have the time to do so. If we were reasonably close to 10% of our friends on Facebook and assuming the average person had 100 or so friends, and if we wrote to each other weekly, I'm sure our spirits would wear thin soon enough. Face it, everyone has a busy schedule. It really just depends on what kind of person you are and the dynamics between you and each person. A relationship maintained through snail mail isn't necessarily more meaningful or better than one maintained through electronic mail. It's how you get your message across that counts. Each interaction is a gesture that we put our selves into, hoping that the other receives it.

"I know what I have given you, I do not know what you have received."