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Chung Truong Thanh
Hcm City
Vietnam

KAIST University

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Why do so many people love letters?

I'm thinking of some reasons: (1) it's personal in many ways; (2) it's a physical object that we can interact with all senses; (3) letter involves a lot of human interaction, where email is considered mostly in machine world.

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Topics: society

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Lars Mews
- +2
Nov 22 2012: I think it is because a handwritten letter means someone far away spend time on you only, even when you are not there.
And it means someone made a travel (ok, a very short one to the next post office, depending on country), and even paid third persons to reach out for you, what is a lot more than just click on "send email".

Also, you can collect written letters, and they are an unique original. A printed email is always just a copy, and even the original never left the terretory of the writer, as it is saved on the email server in the writers account. So you feel like a second-class recipient.

And another reason may be, a written letter does not disturb your daily routine. Post is coming more or less one time a day at the same time all day. It will be very unlikely that it arrives at the wrong moment. Whilst most people feel annoyed when a "new email" popup appears, as people do not have established fixed times for email, but feel like to respond and concentrate instantly on these, what causes stress.
- Chung Truong Thanh 50+
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  Nov 23 2012: I like what you said about the uniqueness of letters. Indeed we can print out many copies from an email, but there's only a single original letter.
  
  The slow pace of letter is also a good point, many love that. With the same reason why I don't like direct chatting.
Robert Winner 50+
- 0
Nov 22 2012: I write letters and send thank you notes. This is the way I was raised and I appreciate the subtle meanings that the writing and recieving letters implies. A letter is personal; it involves taking time to share thoughts, hopes, aspirations, and dreams; both the sender and the reciever have allowed someone to enter into their private world and share a bond; it is proof of existance and verification of you as an individual; it can be the height of hope or the pit of dispair; they allow us to retreat into a better time or to continue hope for times to become better; they may be the last communication or they may be the start of a lifetime experience; They in some way indicate that someone believes you are special.

I think that thank you notes are also very special. A host or hostess made a special effort and envited you to share the occassion .... to express your appreciation for their efforts ... is showing respect.

Both have become a lost art. That is a shame.

This .. Chung is my letter to you. Bob.
Shobhit Agarwal
- +1
Nov 21 2012: We all like and love our childhood memories and letter is one such thing that make us feel the same, secondly their is an enjoyment(can be in +ve or -ve sense) in waiting to recieve the letter and joy after recieving the letter, since you are waiting for it from a long time that increases its value.
- Chung Truong Thanh 50+
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  Nov 22 2012: That's an interesting point. The enjoyment of waiting for something good coming has its own taste. It's not like email, where if I say that I've just sent to you an email, well, you already got it.
  
  There are stories of lost letters that coming to its destination after years and years. There must be some excitement of the receivers as well.
Gail . 50+
- 0
Nov 21 2012: I write letters the old fashioned way, except that I type them because I can use larger fonts and they are easier for the elderly to read. They are much appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed. I prefer letters to phone calls, email, or facebook postings. They tell me that someone really cares. You can't write a letter without being present with the person - even though the person you're writing to is not with you. If a phone wasn't so important, I would throw the darned thing away. I hate it when people call to chat!
- Chung Truong Thanh 50+
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  Nov 21 2012: That's interesting. Since for many, what they love about letters is the hand writing, which is very much personal to both the writers and the readers.
  
  I also like the paper from an old fashion typewriter.
  - Gail . 50+
    
    +1
    Nov 21 2012: I agree with the hand-written part, but my letters are to the elderly, and many of them have poor vision. I also like old-fashioned typewriter paper but it's too thin for my use. I buy special papers. Usually "laid" and "wove". I prefer no watermark but if I can't find an alternative, I'll buy it. I don't use computer paper for letters to the elderly. I want them to feel the paper as part of their experience. Better papers feel so wonderful to the touch.
    
    One day I will start saving my drier lint and make my own paper. But I have to convince my husband to stop throwing it away first. :-)
Chung Truong Thanh 50+
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TED Translator

Nov 21 2012: I found some comments said that letters is more valuable (than email or text) since it needs a little extra effort. I don't think that's true since the actual difficulty is thinking of what to write, not the writing part, that part is too easy.

If indeed extra effort is important, do writing (sculpt) on stone then, way more difficult.
Feyisayo Anjorin 50+
- +2
Nov 20 2012: A letter, written to me by a lover, her thoughts and feelings alive on a piece of paper.....the handwriting is her's (the handwriting of a lover is like a great work of art);
I dont have to depend on batterys and electricity and technology to feel her close to me. All I just need do is: put this love letter in my pocket, and read it at night or daytime, in the city or in the countryside.
Wherever I go, a letter, without trying too hard to be sophisticated, is all I need to be sure that I'm her treasure, as she's mine.
- Kate Blake 50+
  - +2
  Nov 21 2012: Wow, how romantic Feyisayo! Your lover must be a very lucky lady ...
  
  But I believe your response captures the essence of why we like letters so much. They are deeply personal, to be read and remembered anywhere anytime, very different to turning on the computer to check the words of an email. When we put pen to paper it seems more sincere, more heart-felt, and when we read back over them many years later they still arouse the emotions we felt when we first received them. They are gems.
  - Chung Truong Thanh 50+
    
    +1
    TED Translator
    
    Nov 21 2012: I like that. Letter is a physical object that contains thoughts, emotion in itself, not just the content of the letter. People don't even need to read it to regain of the emotion of the past memory.
    
    I guess seeing the hard disk of saved emails doesn't feel that much emotion.

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