(This post was written on August 6th, 2011, and posted on August 7th, 2011)
As I write (yes, write. Not type (see last post)) this blog post, I consider the advantages of reverting to an analog form of writing, and the advantages of other analog methods. And I’d better think of them fast, because that’s the subject of this post.
In our day and age, essays in college are either submitted online, or in a very specifically-formatted typed piece/sheaf of paper. At BYU-I, with the laptop initiative (the requirement of every student to have a laptop), a tendency of taking class notes on a laptop exists, and seems to be developing. The use of paper may be dying out. Dunno. And reading books, even! THE EPITOME OF PAPER USE! It’s being paperless-ized as we adopt use of inventions like the Kindle and the Nook. Now: There is every possibility that I’m delusional. And I have nothing against technology. But I do believe that there will be a time in the future (and there comes a time every day) that one or more pieces of technology in our vicinity will fail to perform their functions. And it will be useful, at that time, in my opinion, for us to know how to do in an analog format what we depend on doing digitally. Recently, in one of my classes, a few students were unable to read an analog clock. Now, granted, that’s a piece of technology that would fail with a digital clock, but it was still sad to see that these people didn’t know how to read it. And I hope that wasn’t a by-product of the current American education system, and if it was, I hope we don’t stop learning how to write anytime soon. Being forced to write my thought in a journal, as it were, because of a lack of computer access has been nice. It’s shown me a few things, and I’ve been able to see some advantages to making a reversion.
1. Gratitude for Technology. When you have to write everything by hand, you realize how much faster it is to type things. And I think one gains a greater gratitude for the technology that allows us to type. It really saves us a lot of time. And to be able to transmit in digital format! I mean, if this were a message to someone specific, after finishing it, I would have to stick it in an envelope, put a stamp on it, mail it, and then wait at least 3 or 4 days for a response. But on a computer, I can copy and paste the text into a message box, and push a button, and immediately it arrives at the virtual front door of the receiver. The technology we use that allows us to communicate and record words and ideas is such a blessing.
2. A desire to learn shorthand. With the gratitude for efficiency (and with its loss) there comes (at least, to me) a desire to regain that efficiency. But I don’t want to buy another computer at this point in my life for the same reason. I decided to sell the other one. And so I would like a different method, and learning shorthand seems like a good idea, especially in the context of digital independence. I’ve wanted to learn shorthand since a year or so ago; since my hand couldn’t keep up with what went in my ears. I want to learn a way to write faster, and get back some of that efficiency that went with my laptop. But that’s only an advantage if I use that extra time purposefully, right? Which brings me to my next point:
3. I really don’t need Facebook. I know. Shocking, right? But it’s true! I can get along just fine with a phone as far as social communication goes. And in some ways, I’d like to wean myself off of that, too. See, I feel like Facebook, texting, and even email are crippling me socially. Back in the day, when you wanted to talk to someone, you had to actually talk to them, whether that meant to be within range of hearing, or to have a conversation face-to-face with them, it involved speaking. Using your voice. To mail a letter to your next-door neighbor just wasn’t efficient enough for communication. But the modern message, which takes the form of an email, a text, or a Facebook message is efficient enough for communication because it’s virtually instantaneous! And it’s PREFERABLE! You know that awkward situation when you have to tell someone something but don’t really want to tell them? Years ago, you had to at least get a friend to deliver the message for you, or mail them a letter, maybe. But it would usually result, eventually, in a direct conversation. Now, if you fell so inclined, you can text someone to break up with them, because you just don’t want to be in that situation. But to do so deprives you of social skills and valuable (though painful) experiences. And as you deprive yourself of much of today’s communication technology, I believe you gain growth and you learn to really communicate. And if we’re going to talk about efficiency, what’s more efficient if you’re trying to have a conversation with someone than having a conversation? You can fit a minute’s worth of texts into something closer to 10 or 15 seconds. We have mouths. I think it would be a good idea to use them more. And if you’d like, go ahead and try it! Try taking a break from Facebook, or texting, or from email (if that’s at all feasible) and see if it changes your life in a positive way. I’m not necessarily saying we should abandon these things, just that we should be independent of them; we should be able to get along without them, if we can.
4. I have the opportunity to be social, and I LOVE IT! I spent today without checking my Facebook or my email, interacting with family and friends. Having adventures, getting some work done, eating great food, and talking. And it was so great. I don’t know that anything could’ve made today better. It was amazing. I spent a day doing something I tend to avoid, that is, being social, and I found that I really enjoyed it.
5. My writing hand has been gaining strength! …yeah, okay. Maybe I’m reaching, but it really feels good to know I can still use my hand to write, and I don’t need a computer to record something.
It’s kind of fun to me to go back to just writing: an old electricity-free standby. (Except for the car light over my head). I guess I’m not totally independent. But I can dream, right? :)
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