I'm going to try and blog as often as possible about something that has struck me. The struggle for me recently has been finding the time and having the right technology easily available! I hope there is something that resonates with you too - if so do let me know and maybe tell others...
Tuesday 18 January 2011
Emails... are like Marmite!
... you either love them or hate them!
They've revolutionised the way we communicate on a work and personal level.
Two things have sparked me pondering this... The first was a conversation yesterday with someone about the sheer volume of emails we received on a daily basis - it almost approached 'bragging rights' status. "I've had over 70 emails since we started this meeting 3 hours ago" "Really? I can't beat that!"
Then this morning my attention was drawn to one of the Poems on the Underground - have you ever noticed them whole travelling by Tube in London. I always look out for then as they invariably cause me to react. The one I saw this morning was called "Loving the rituals" a translation by Tony Harrison of a verse by Palladas, a 4th century Alexandrian schoolmaster;
Loving the rituals that keep men close,
Nature created means for friends apart:
pen and ink, the alphabet,
signs for the distant and disconsolate heart.
Isn't that delightful... I found myself overwhelmed by a little tsunami of nostalgia. I love getting letters and have generally found that other folk like receiving mine
Emails still utilise the alphabet and they are with you in the blink of an eye - more often than not! But how many times have you tapped out a rapid reply and pressed send only to regret it and wish it back... Somehow the process of composing a letter was - and is still - never quite so fraught with the potential to be misunderstood...
And don't even get me started on the "reply to all" button!! (That's for another day when I feel more "up to it"!)
There is something beautiful about receiving a handwritten letter, something that says you're being thought of... cherished...
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As someone who once sent an e-mail to the wrong person, that one's close to my heart! I agree that there's something special about a handwritten letter. How often does anyone get anything enjoyable in the post these days? I have a couple of packs of Simon Drew postcards; they never fail to make me smile. Every now and again I'll have a flick through my address book and inevitably see the name of someone I haven't spoken to for a few months. It takes around five minutes to write a few words on a postcard and pop it in the post.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, tsunami of nostalgia-I love that!