Sentiments of a Letter

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.  
~Phyllis Theroux


If a letter could speak its mind:


"Not too long ago, people used me as a medium of opening up their soul to their near and dear ones; all it took was a sheet of paper and some good ink. The sheer simplicity of it all is probably what brought  people together. The stretch of emotions masquerading beneath that smile is priceless. I can almost sense every bit that my reader senses when "


"I've noticed my human letter-writer sit for hours together just to sew together a heart-warming letter; aching in the mind to get just the right words, the apt feel, the perfect words to emote your state of mind . 


She would sit by the reading lamp, sitting her elbow on the handle of the chair and mulling over what to write, how to write. At times, she could barely write a word, and would tear up the letter. She would then rip off another sheet of paper from the letter pad and begin writing all over again. This could go on and on, until what she's written—be it words or sentences—is convincing enough and satisfactory. There are spells when she could barely write a decent sentence; she would just call it a day and start over afresh the following day."

"We have evolved for the better or for the worse; this is the moment of electronic technology—all you need is a log in ID and a password. You could be anywhere mailing anybody in the world. The path somehow seems shorter and swifter; your thoughts are wired within minutes! Truly amazing! How-ever . . . However, there is one crucial ingredient that "electronic wiring" lacks—emotions, feelings, the sheer tactility attached to them—sentiments  elaborated vividly in a letter, so alive, you can almost see it happening right before you."

You might argue that is could be possible via the electronic medium as well, so why the hoo-hah over it? I rest my case with just one thought, 'You gotta be in my shoes to relish it.'
"You could mail how you feel, your thoughts, but it's mildly possible that the person reading the email is unable to sense or feel; is even barely unmoved. Not their fault; technology is such that it's quicker, but seems detached from the being; as though somehow emotions get vaporized during the course of its electronic journey. It is the age of the machines, it appears."

Each method has its pros and cons linked to it. It's true that snail-mail  does takes its time, unlike its counterpart—email—that gets delivered within seconds. But it's not the time that really matters; it is the joy of the wait in anticipation for the postman to deliver a handwritten mail to your mailbox; the joy of reading it over a cup of coffee in your garden or the portico, with the sun smiling bright and wide at you, reading it aloud with your loved ones. The physical mail sure knows how to emote unlike its flip-side cousin. The best things come in small packages, don't they? Why should an innocent handwritten post be any different.


The beauty of handwritten mails is that you could stash it away and read it anytime, anywhere; as though you share this really beautiful relationship; so vivid you could almost picture it, perfectly intact, unless of course, you have been cruel and insensitive or careless enough to have murdered it; ripped it, shredded, and disposed off as garbage. 


Don't blame yourself now; times have changed, and so have the attitude and patience quotients of society—nobody has the luxury of capturing flowery adjectives or true feelings on paper; one emoticon does the job! When in Rome, live like the Romans. Change if you need to; certainly not to please thy neighbors. Love thy neighbors as thyself? Agreed. But glorify thy neighbors? I don't think so. The mantra that works for most of us probably is, "Live and let live."


Consider this, I could almost picture the human race living at the beck and call of their creation—technology! Might not even realize what hit us, 'cause soon enough homo sapiens would be nothing more than an "extinct race."


The dying habit of writing a letter to loved ones using paper and ink needs to be kept alive. Some elements of our lifestyle are better and more meaningful just the way they were. It is the simplest and smaller things in life that bring a smile. Happiness is what we make out of what is laid out before us. Some get their smile out of the city's nightlife; most find joy in spending time with like-minded friends, and family.


We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. 
-Buddha-


P.S. In case you are wondering: No, I don't follow Buddha; the thought above caught my attention, and I found it interesting enough to share it.