Should we write more letters? Online chat is instantaneous, so we rarely think of sending a message by post. But some say we could be creating a meaningful and lasting record.
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Writers lament the lost art of letter writing
Should we write more letters? Online chat is instantaneous, so we rarely think of sending a message by post. But some say we could be creating a meaningful and lasting record.
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"What do you take me for?" wrote a BabylonianAn ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq. to a merchantSomebody who buys and sells lots of goods. in one of the oldest known letters. It was written on a clay tablet 3,775 years ago.
Today, letters may be dying out. In the UK, the Royal Mail has raised prices after the number of letters dropped to a record low. In Australia, only 3% of letters are non-business related.
Queen Atossa posted the first handwritten letter in 500 BC. She began a rich tradition of letters: from Saint Paul's epistlesLetters. In the New Testament, some books are epistles from apostles. in the Bible to the love letters of Virginia WoolfAn English novelist (1882 - 1941) whose best-known books include Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse..
But in the US, 37% say they haven't sent a letter in the last five years.1
Does it matter? The author Edwina Preston thinks so. She says a letter is "a powerful time capsule". She gives some reasons why we should write them:
They are more personal. The handwriting and spelling mistakes of a letter remind us of the writer. Letters are treasured possessions and historical objects.
They make us slow down. Writing, posting and waiting for a reply is a "commitment of time". It shows how much we care about the other person.
They are a slice of life. A letter is a mix of everything. In the first known letter by a Christian, a man named Arrianus asks his brother for a recipe for fish sauce.
They outlive us. The ancient Roman SenecaA Roman philosopher. wrote his philosophy in 124 letters to his young friend Lucilius. His letters have been read for hundreds of years.
Letters contain personal experiences, like the two billion passed to and from the British trenches in World War One.2 Or they can change history, like US president Abraham Lincoln's letter declaring his oppositionBeing against something. to slavery.
Some may outlive humanity. The Voyager spaceship is in deep space. Onboard is a "golden record" with a letter for alien life. Greetings in 55 languages include the message: "Hello from the children of planet Earth."
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Should we write more letters?
Yes: Next time you want to tell someone how you feel or what you have seen or done, grab a pen and write it down. Your personal letter will be a special present that a friend or loved one will keep forever.
No: How you communicate does not matter. Not everyone expresses themselves best through written words and today's technology means we can connect with anyone anytime in so many different ways.
Or... Maybe letter writing is dead. But we can still read the letters of relatives, and famous and ordinary people from history. Their wisdom and experience may change how we communicate with each other.
Keywords
Babylonian - An ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.
Merchant - Somebody who buys and sells lots of goods.
Epistles - Letters. In the New Testament, some books are epistles from apostles.
Virginia Woolf - An English novelist (1882 - 1941) whose best-known books include Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse.
Seneca - A Roman philosopher.
Opposition - Being against something.
Writers lament the lost art of letter writing
History: This WW1 letter from a schoolboy to his father contains an account of the destruction of a Zeppelin airship. Glossary
Babylonian - An ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.
Merchant - Somebody who buys and sells lots of goods.
Epistles - Letters. In the New Testament, some books are epistles from apostles.
Virginia Woolf - An English novelist (1882 - 1941) whose best-known books include Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse.
Seneca - A Roman philosopher.
Opposition - Being against something.