I read this article recently and it made me sad. I love technology, but it’s starting to destroy the little things in life that I hold so very close to my heart. It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s true.
I love handwriting. I love practicing my handwriting. I usually write most things out by hand before I type them into the computer. I have about eight different styles of handwriting {not even kidding} and can imitate both my mom and my aunt’s writing almost identically. I love my handwriting.
If you read that article, you would know that Indiana is only the most recent state to take out cursive writing from the state education standards, and replace it instead with typing. But if I can master both handwriting and typing {I tested at 84 words per minute, no errors}, why do we have to pick and choose?
I’ve actually read a few articles recently about this declining form of art, including this one from CNN. I loved this quote from the article:
“Will younger generations not know the powerful emotions that come from receiving a handwritten love letter that describes all the love someone else feels for you? What about the fear and courage that comes from writing your first love letter that contains all the love you feel for someone else?”
I still have the very first love letter I received from my husband, tucked away in a pink keepsake box. His writing is atrocious {even he admits this}, but there is something so sweet about getting a handwritten letter from someone, declaring their love for you. I’m terrified that this quote is true; that eventually, nobody will know what joy comes with getting a letter in the mail. Email has already taken over snail mail so much that there is debate that the USPS should just shut it’s doors for good.
If we did that, my ambitions to formally learn calligraphy would become obsolete and unnecessary. And that is devastating to me.
But I swear that my children will know how to write more than just their name, even if I have to teach them myself. Because computers just don’t even compare to the real thing.
Maybe I should get my handwriting made into a font though, just to be safe.
What do you think? Is handwriting obsolete? Or should we fight to keep it relevant?