Earlier, Robert Stein provided us with an excellent analysis of the sad demise of newspapers, magazines and books. While this is an important topic, particularly for those with an interest in history and how future generations will learn of our times, there is another form of the printed word which has already come to the point of extinction. That is the ancient practice of letter writing.
While composing this piece I searched my memory for my own track record in penning letters. As a young man I was dutiful in this area. When I left home to join the military on a six year journey around the world, I frequently wrote home to my parents and other family members. I shared with them my experiences, observations, triumphs and failures. (Along with the occasional begging for a plane ticket home at Christmas.) It was cathartic for me and kept them in touch with my life. This winter my mother, now in her 80’s, mentioned that she still has all of those letters in a collection of shoe boxes.
When is the last time I wrote a letter? To be honest, I’m not even sure. I think it was in the early to mid 90’s. I used to enjoy writing and receiving letters, particularly in the military. Long distance phone calls were expensive and sometimes not even possible. The internet was unheard of, so penning a letter was often the only, not just best option.
Letters form a significant portion of our body of history. I’m currently reading Jon Meacham’s excellent book, American Lion, about the life and times of President Andrew Jackson. Large portions of Jackson’s life are only revealed through the letters he sent to friends, family and associates, or letters they sent to him. People saved those letters, much as my mother saved mine. They were important and cherished. Beyond just presidents, much of what we know of most historical figures throughout our history come from these same sources. A large body of our knowledge of the American Civil War comes to us from the pages of anguished letters sent home to mom by soldiers in the field.
When cheap, long distance phone service became more widely available, letter writing decreased. I suppose it speaks to mankind’s fundamental attraction to instant gratification. Telegrams were slow, costly and not much more satisfying then postal correspondence, but phone calls could instantly take the place of a dozen letters written over a period of weeks or months. And, of course, e-mail was the final nail in the coffin.
Yes, Google will keep track of the “written word” on the web for some time, but e-mails are rarely if ever printed, generally discarded to the virtual trash bin after reading and leave no permanent record to be saved in a box. This is saddening to me. Many of us in the modern age will live and die leaving virtually no hard copy, written legacy to our thoughts, dreams and experiences. Is it too late to step back from the abyss? While I hate to be too depressing, I think that ship has sailed. We are cheapening our history, except for those in the most high profile positions, and the world will be the poorer for it.