Old-Fashioned Love Letters

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25seligman.html?_r=1

In this op-ed a less-talked about side of war is uncovered. In it a woman talks about how contact with her husband was often strained, especially through the use of technology, like phones or webcams. She says that the only way she saved her marriage was to replace those conversation with letters. She explains that in this way she was able to send her feelings in a clear way that couldn't be misinterpreted, without time delays or fear of being cut off. It also gave both of them, and their children a physical thing to hold onto and it allowed them to re-read letters to keep a permanent sense of contact. I chose this article because I thought it was a a great insight into human relationships and the timeless value of a handwritten letter. If there is any doubt, ask high school girls about the letters they recieve and make for their friends. As a society obssessed with technology we may not recognize how older ways may be better and may connect us more progoundly than new technologies. The woman here connected with a man half a world away, and finally established a real connection between him and their children through the handwritten word, and feels it has kept them together. Maybe as a society we need to break out the stationery and get back to hand-written letters.