Reflections: E-mail is not a substitute for a letter

Written by Lee Hawes
Thursday, 05 November 2009 12:38

When folks are assuming their civic responsibilities, writing letters to the editor to voice their preferences for political candidates, my articles are not forthcoming. It is a matter of priorities. Naturally, the public interest must be served before the musings of my mind. It happens every year during the election season as autumn ushers in the arrival of winter, when the trees have been stripped naked of their leaves. It is sort of a last hurrah to summer.

For me, gone are the welcoming days of sledding, skating, skiing and building snowmen. For senior citizens it is a time of peril. We have to walk guardedly on icy ground and not slip and suddenly fall. Bones are brittle. Even a short trip down the driveway for the mail is dangerous.

During this respite time of elections I stop writing articles. I feel the absence of creativity, the void of being out of touch. When people ask whether I have given up writing, I reply simply “No, I’m just taking a break.” Actually it is not true, but I do understand.

In the meantime I catch up on my correspondence with friends and relatives. I come from a long family tradition of letter writing. You have to keep writing, otherwise the words do not flow freely. Writing is a discipline. It is also a way of sharing and caring. Obviously I do not tell all; I never want to antagonize my reader.

Down in my cellar I have suitcases full of letters. I just can’t throw them away. Writing is a way of keeping your brain cells aligned. It also provides an escape from the grim realities of our times. It offers a means of clarifying life’s contradictions.

Today most people communicate by e-mail. It is simple and easy, but it is not writing. I have a few friends who never write. Either they feel it is a bother or they feel inadequate in expressing their views or news. E-mail communication is not a substitute for writing or word crafting. Writing is, however, a more fulfilling way of keeping in touch.

Lee Hawes of Redding is a retired teacher.