I honestly can't remember the last time I sat down and actually hand wrote a letter. Aside from the odd chicken scratch note, if it's not typed in an email or a text, it doesn't exist for me... and so it seems, society is evolving.
But is it for the best?
I guess I never really gave it much thought. No longer do we sit and figure out math equations - calculators, computers and cell phones take care of that for us these days and since my grandmother passed away about two years back, I have never written another letter. But are we gradually, losing valuable and practical skills that could come in handy one day? It's not like riding a bike. While I remember perfectly well the technique behind hand writing, I've definitely lost the knack. The writing I used to get compliments on, now looks comparable to... well I don't even know what but it's far from attractive.
Last night though I was reading an article online that made me think. "It recently dawned on me that my daughter is in Grade six and she can't form all her cursive letters," it began. "Well I was up in arms..." To which the child replied, "Mom please! We don't need cursive writing anymore. We just type everything... we are never going to use it." School assignments are typed and letters to friends or family are now emails.
The article went on to say - "Call me a dinosaur, but I would like to make a case for the value of teaching cursive writing. Just because something is "useless," doesn't mean it's not useful. Case in point: Many of us have never used trigonometry since high school, and similarly have never found any practical application for "To Kill A Mockingbird." That's fine, because education has never been about "what do I need this for." A good education consists of developing critical and divergent thinkers, who can also appreciate the arts. Put together over time, many seemingly "useless" units actually contribute to the larger goal of creating a well-rounded person."
I think I have to agree with that statement.
"What if the computer crashed? What if your iphone stopped working and you had to leave someone a note? Hey, Wikipedia shut down for 24 hours this week, so anything could happen! Does anyone even remember how to use an encylopedia!? I think it's scary to hand over all our skills to computers."
Technology is great, don't get me wrong. If you asked me to give up texting at this point, I'd have a big problem but with that said, it never hurts to gain skills and to learn how to think for ourselves - especially in the more formative years.
