When I talk about letter writing, I do not mean the different types of blogs everywhere or the cover letters you just sent in for the summer internship while in school; I mean the pen or paper, licking the disgusting tasting glue to seal the internship, and paying about 30 cents or more for a stamp kind of letter writing.
It has become the lost culture because in our modern and technologically obsessed society where you can communicate through text, email, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and loads of other social media platforms, which controversy has focused on the loss of face-to-face direct human communication and failed to address the loss of written mail.
I am grateful for the technology we have but we are losing the sense of realization of the real world through technology. That being said, some may consider the notion of 'snail mail' as nostalgic and possibly useless, I believe letter writing captures a sense of commitment and kindness that often fails to translate through technology.
I used to write letters to my friends in the next classrooms or tried to send letters for the friends who moved away to catch up on their lives. Since going to college, I've seen the tradition slowly start coming back alive. Even if it was on social media that some online blogs started 'pen pals' applications to talk to anyone around the world in any sort of communication such as writing letters, email or just plain texting.
However, letter writing isn’t only to keep in touch with those you don’t see very often. These small reminders that someone cares can also come from roommates or parents whom you see on a regular basis and be just as powerful.
As an overwhelmed college student, I find myself easily getting caught up in the stress of everyday life and the mountains of reading that my Creative Writing major requires. So, getting a letter from a distant cousin or pen pal helps to remind me of what's really important in life - the relationships that you keep a hold onto and envelope.
Letter writing doesn’t have to be lost in the past with the traditions of quill pens and messy ink splats. You don’t have to write pages of romantic appreciate like some nineteenth-century poet or make up rhymes like a Hallmark greeting card. All you need is a pen, a piece of paper, and the address of someone you care about.
