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The Lost Skill Of Civilized Society We Desperately Need To Revive
I don’t remember the exact words, but I remember the feeling.
I was thirteen years old. My first ever girlfriend had written me a letter. It was a love letter of sorts. I bounced around my house for hours after reading it.
Before the internet, we wrote letters to each other. They lacked convenience and ease, but they were thoughtfully crafted pieces of communication.
We’ve lost the skill and even the desire to write letters. Today, we opt for clumsy emails, impulsive social media posts, and cryptic text messages.
Letter writing is a forgotten art form. Nobody seems to do it anymore. That rarity makes it all the more special when you receive one.
It was a skill praised by the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Voltaire. Some of the most effective open letters in history are still revered today.
- Letter From A Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
- J’Accuse by Emile Zola
- Finished With War: A Soldiers Degradation by Siegfried Sassoon
A letter won’t produce miracles, but it’s time we brought back this sacred practice.
