Hello blogger world,
I know it's been a long time since I've written here, but I've been sick for over a week now & I just had my incredible 17th birthday. & now, I'm getting prepared for June to come & head off to camp for the whole month, but I know God has a lot in store for me so, I'm getting ready!
I read something today that a friend had said, & she said that the postal services are thinking about not running mail on Saturdays...what's that about?? Is everything going to be internet related before we know it? Are my children even going to know what letters by mail is? Or is that going to be really old history?
It's crazy. Letters by mail need to be written more these days..! I enjoy actually sending a card to someone & knowing it might take a couple days to get there but they'll see that I invested time into those words I wrote them.
These days there is internet, Facebook, e-mail, Twitter, texting, It's crazy. You no longer need to see much less hear that persons voice to speak to them or tell them something important. Just text it, no big deal.
WRONG. There is something so beautiful about letters, & seeing someone pour their heart into those words they have just shared with you, & you alone. It's exquisite. It's lovely.
Boy, it must sound like I'm mad...I'm not. I promise. I just want letters to become something again. Something you write to someone & place it in the mailbox & 2 or 3 days later they call you & thank you for it.
I have a box filled with letters from a friend...or should I say 'friends.' & they are beautiful. They mean more to me then a 'text' will ever mean. The words you write show your beautiful heart written through out the card. In my writings I let my heart be free to be me. I run free through out my writings & letters.
I've come to find out that something you'll begin to know about me if we're really close. I write letters...like crazy. I enjoy encouraging people & letting them know that they are loved in this world that is crazy a lot of the time. But, the people you truly love & care for, you'll make time for them. You make time to sit down & write out your thoughts into a card. You just will.
I'm a writer. I guess that's why this subject is so important to me. Never let the written word die. Don't let this world get too 'high tech' for us. Something's just shouldn't change.
--I know it's been awhile since I've written on here, & I'm sorry for that. But, I hope to write more here soon. When I start to feel better I'll write. I'm feeling it's time for another one of my 'lists.' :)
Goodnight beautiful world.
--here's a quote for you--
"If you miss me … you can't text, you can't e-mail, you can't post it on my [Facebook] wall. If you really miss me, you come and see me."
-Ashton Kutcher
.Princess in Waiting.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Has texting killed Romance?
Saw this article by Ashton Kutcher---I'd have to agree. You say so much more through texts then you would actually say to someones face. Romantically or non romantically.
---->ASHTON KUTCHER asks, in an Internet era, are we losing our ability to really Communicate?
I was shooting a scene in my new film, No Strings Attached, in which I say to Natalie Portman, "If you miss me … you can't text, you can't e-mail, you can't post it on my [Facebook] wall. If you really miss me, you come and see me." I began to think of all of the billions of intimate exchanges sent daily via fingers and screens, bouncing between satellites and servers. With all this texting, e-mailing, and social networking, I started wondering, are we all becoming so in touch with one another that we are in danger of losing touch?
It used to be that boy met girl and they exchanged phone numbers. Anticipation built. They imagined the entire relationship before a call ever happened. The phone rang. Hearts pounded. "Hello?" Followed by a conversation that lasted two hours but felt like two minutes and would be examined with friends for two weeks. If all went well, a date was arranged. That was then.
Now we exchange numbers but text instead of calling because it mitigates the risks of early failure and eliminates those deafening moments of silence. Now anticipation builds. Bdoop. "It was NICE meeting u." Both sides overanalyze every word. We talk to a friend, an impromptu Cyrano: "He wrote nice in all caps. What does that mean? What do I write back?" Then we write a response and delete it 10 times before sending a message that will appear 2 care, but not 2 much. If all goes well, a date will be arranged.
Whether you like it or not, the digital age has produced a new format for modern romance, and natural selection may be favoring the quick-thumbed quip peddler over the confident, ice-breaking alpha male. Or maybe we are hiding behind the cloak of digital text and spell-check to present superior versions of ourselves while using these less intimate forms of communication to accelerate the courting process. So what's it really good for?
There is some argument about who actually invented text messaging, but I think it's safe to say it was a man. Multiple studies have shown that the average man uses about half as many words per day as women, thus text messaging. It eliminates hellos and goodbyes and cuts right to the chase. Now, if that's not male behavior, I don't know what is. It's also great for passing notes. There is something fun about sharing secrets with your date while in the company of others. Think of texting as a modern whisper in your lover's ear.
Sending sweet nothings on Twitter or Facebook is also fun. In some ways, it's no different than sending flowers to the office: You are declaring your love for everyone to see. Who doesn't like to be publicly adored? Just remember that what you post is out there and there's some stuff you can't unsee.
But the reality is that we communicate with every part of our being, and there are times when we must use it all. When someone needs us, he or she needs all of us. There's no text that can replace a loving touch when someone we love is hurting.
We haven't lost romance in the digital age, but we may be neglecting it. In doing so, antiquated art forms are taking on new importance. The power of a handwritten letter is greater than ever. It's personal and deliberate and means more than an e-mail or text ever will. It has a unique scent. It requires deciphering. But, most important, it's flawed. There are errors in handwriting, punctuation, grammar, and spelling that show our vulnerability. And vulnerability is the essence of romance. It's the art of being uncalculated, the willingness to look foolish, the courage to say, "This is me, and I'm interested in you enough to show you my flaws with the hope that you may embrace me for all that I am but, more important, all that I am not."
---->ASHTON KUTCHER asks, in an Internet era, are we losing our ability to really Communicate?
I was shooting a scene in my new film, No Strings Attached, in which I say to Natalie Portman, "If you miss me … you can't text, you can't e-mail, you can't post it on my [Facebook] wall. If you really miss me, you come and see me." I began to think of all of the billions of intimate exchanges sent daily via fingers and screens, bouncing between satellites and servers. With all this texting, e-mailing, and social networking, I started wondering, are we all becoming so in touch with one another that we are in danger of losing touch?
It used to be that boy met girl and they exchanged phone numbers. Anticipation built. They imagined the entire relationship before a call ever happened. The phone rang. Hearts pounded. "Hello?" Followed by a conversation that lasted two hours but felt like two minutes and would be examined with friends for two weeks. If all went well, a date was arranged. That was then.
Now we exchange numbers but text instead of calling because it mitigates the risks of early failure and eliminates those deafening moments of silence. Now anticipation builds. Bdoop. "It was NICE meeting u." Both sides overanalyze every word. We talk to a friend, an impromptu Cyrano: "He wrote nice in all caps. What does that mean? What do I write back?" Then we write a response and delete it 10 times before sending a message that will appear 2 care, but not 2 much. If all goes well, a date will be arranged.
Whether you like it or not, the digital age has produced a new format for modern romance, and natural selection may be favoring the quick-thumbed quip peddler over the confident, ice-breaking alpha male. Or maybe we are hiding behind the cloak of digital text and spell-check to present superior versions of ourselves while using these less intimate forms of communication to accelerate the courting process. So what's it really good for?
There is some argument about who actually invented text messaging, but I think it's safe to say it was a man. Multiple studies have shown that the average man uses about half as many words per day as women, thus text messaging. It eliminates hellos and goodbyes and cuts right to the chase. Now, if that's not male behavior, I don't know what is. It's also great for passing notes. There is something fun about sharing secrets with your date while in the company of others. Think of texting as a modern whisper in your lover's ear.
Sending sweet nothings on Twitter or Facebook is also fun. In some ways, it's no different than sending flowers to the office: You are declaring your love for everyone to see. Who doesn't like to be publicly adored? Just remember that what you post is out there and there's some stuff you can't unsee.
But the reality is that we communicate with every part of our being, and there are times when we must use it all. When someone needs us, he or she needs all of us. There's no text that can replace a loving touch when someone we love is hurting.
We haven't lost romance in the digital age, but we may be neglecting it. In doing so, antiquated art forms are taking on new importance. The power of a handwritten letter is greater than ever. It's personal and deliberate and means more than an e-mail or text ever will. It has a unique scent. It requires deciphering. But, most important, it's flawed. There are errors in handwriting, punctuation, grammar, and spelling that show our vulnerability. And vulnerability is the essence of romance. It's the art of being uncalculated, the willingness to look foolish, the courage to say, "This is me, and I'm interested in you enough to show you my flaws with the hope that you may embrace me for all that I am but, more important, all that I am not."
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