In an interview in Time magazine, biographer David McCullough says, "The loss of people writing--writing a composition, a letter or a report--is not just the loss for the record. It's the loss of the process of working your thoughts out on paper, of having an idea you would never have had if you weren't [writing]. And that's a handicap. People [I research] were writing letters every day. That was calisthenics for the brain."
I think he's right about that. While it's great, via Facebook and other online media, to see almost instantly what family and friends are up to through photos and brief posts, what it doesn't reveal is what their experience means to them. I'm as guilty of this as anyone, but I remember in my letter-writing days that I would have to reflect upon why I was writing about an incident--what impact it had, or how it fit into my life. That kind of reflection seems like a good thing and we're losing it. I know some blogs fufil this function but those are in the minority, mostly it seems like a drive to record something in the moment and move on to the next thing as quickly as possible.
Maybe this week we should write a letter...
