So, I had this chat with my dad yesterday, about how effectively people used to communicate over long distances before the advent and wide spread of mobile phones and social media instant messaging.
Apparently, these guys communicate through letters, which don't get delivered earlier than three days.
I mean three days!
That is, three days to get your message to the other end at all and another minimum of three days to get a response.
Whew!
I did an analysis of possible character patterns that such "system" could foster.
Faith. Such BLIND FAITH. Such a faith that compels you to believe that all is well on the other end even when your letter has not been delivered nor has the response returned; that all is well even when you don't see the "blue-coloured double-check" that connotes "sent, delivered and read". Such Faith in your loved one, in humanity.
Trust. Genuine and profound trust. Trust that your loved one, regardless of the fact that you are not present or even at the peak of peer pressure, will not compromise who they really are, while away.
Perseverance and Patience. People of those days must have been long-suffering epitomized. LOL.
Excellent Writing skills. I don't know how much undeserved credits I'm accruing to these guys, but I feel like their writing skills must have been better developed and the use of superb grammar must have been the highlight of their letters.
Unconditional Love. Even over long distances, these guys would have bred the truest kind of love. The type that is not influenced by the facade created by present-day social media. The type that allows you to genuinely look forward to seeing your better half.
Healthy relationships. Genuine feelings are expressed when there is no room for jealousy and envy. There was nobody "painting pictures of who they are not on the internet", so, what you see (when you see), is what you get.
Despite the advancement in information technology over the years, these traits are, to a great extent, lacking. Nowadays, we Skype for hours and still have trust issues; we exchange calls at the cheapest rate, as frequently as possible, yet,no true love. Relationships are built on foundation of lies and deceit. Shorthand and unintelligible abbreviations have replaced proper diction and grammar.
It is just so absurd. It makes one conclude that this is just a generation of "half-baked" character-deficient individuals.
However, one cannot dismiss the greater good that technology-aided communication has done for us. I mean, no one wants to wait six days before getting help during an emergency. No one would prefer to see scribbled words instead of having a live chat with their loved ones. It just further proves that, even though communication is made easier for everyone,1 our fundamental values is the price we have to pay for this luxury.