Reveal thy self...write by hand!
Bongi D D M Radipati | Monday July 24, 2023 06:00
It was the end of the first thirty years of my own experience with writing exclusively by hand and in pencil. (Context: The earliest allusion to what today we call a pencil was made in the 1600s.)
I began another indefinite period of pencil handwriting early this year. But as I did so, I could not help it but realize that for centuries and in varied circumstances, handwriting has been the norm.
Actually, ever since God wrote the 10 commandments by hand on two tables of stones; since sages wrote epistles by hand; since certificates were written by hand on parchments; and since canons of literature were hand written, it appears that the most effective way to reveal one’s true self and heart has been to write by hand.
And for our times, we find authenticity, thoughtfulness, execution, collectibility and even majesty in a hand written commendation, a consolation letter, an apology, a resignation note, a love letter, an autograph, a congratulatory note, a code in espionage, a note of encouragement, a musical composition, etc.
But what keeps drawing us to write by hand when we could conveniently write by a typewriter - in the olden days - or a word processor now? Why, despite everything working against it now, do we still practice this interest called handwriting? And what would we prefer to have and to hold and to preserve (as we do with our spouses) - a typewritten or word processed letter to us by a loved one who is dead - or an identical but handwritten letter to us from a deceased loved one?
On different occasions and at different times, authors Anna Quindlen and Lady Carnarvon answer the above questions and it bears paraphrasing them here. They say that something written by hand brings a singular human (or Godly) presence that nothing else can confer - only you could have set aside the time and effort to write it, only you could have actually written it, and in that writing, there is some bit of your personality and character. In other words, what we have written down, particularly by our own hand, typically exposes us just as we are: able, unique and imaginative.
Given the above, it is fascinating to focus solely on the attraction of writing by hand. But, perhaps another way to appreciate hand writing is to consider it alongside how others use their hands to create their works. This way we can truly understand how special it is to write by hand and what depth it brings to creativity and those who do it. Here we can do more than refer to Jony Ive, the co-designer of, among others, Apple’s iconic iMac computer, IPhone smartphone, iPod and iPad, later knighted for services and contributions to design. (Such is the utility of these devices that I am almost certain that this newspaper like others uses the iMac and its executives like their counterparts elsewhere own iPhones!) Ive lists a pencil case as one of the tools of his trade. Two things are significant about his list. First, to design he uses no technology, but a pencil and some handheld instruments. And second, the pencil case is from a personal collection. This signifies that, for him, a pencil is not just a nice thing to have; rather, it is a thing he customarily uses in his trade. As we marvel at his creative process, we are immediately captivated by how its accomplishment by hand invokes the ordinary yet simultaneously elevates it into the marvelous act of design.
Perhaps the encouragement to write or create by hand instead of any other way may still not succeed simply by making an emotional argument for its magic. Maybe, it could succeed if we go further and harness handwriting’s forces of logic to challenge an inclination to write in other ways. For that, how about this? There are compelling reasons why almost everywhere teachers often encourage their students to write their notes or instructions by hand. First, countless studies have shown that writing reinforces the memory. Second, our welfare (of comprehension, recollection and improved writing) is better served if we write by hand than otherwise. Small wonder that at some Ivy League universities and in some classes (as an example among many), certain lecturers not only ban the use of technology by their students but insist on them taking their notes by hand.
Often we choose to write by hand because we want to write with a trace, thoughtfully, slowly, deliberately and consistent with the pace of our thinking and composition. Barack Obama, an elder statesman and author, renowned for writing his manuscripts and speeches by hand, and Gabriel Robare, a young Generation Z hand writer, have something edifying to say about their chosen style of writing. It has application to all hand writers. When we write by hand, they have said, symbolically we chart our way through a forest of thickets, with our pencils or pens figuratively clearing an uncertain, unrefined path through the branches. But with every word we write by hand, we lay down stepping stones of thoughts that often lead us to clearer thinking, better prose and ultimately effective communication or delight. In other words, and as observed by Marshall McLuhan, the communication theorist, the medium is the message itself: that is, our handwriting (for instance) determines how our writing is perceived.
Like a beautiful thing, a handwritten manuscript of an accomplished writer, an outlier in other words, usually fetches a lot of money at its auction after their death. Of course, for the typical hand writer, that eventuality may never materialize or was never really their aim in any case (although it would be appreciated if it were to happen!) Still, by the simple and understated method of manual creation, composition and communication, every hand writer ordinarily reveals himself or herself. In fact, by hand writing, he or she also dramatizes his or her thinking and delivery process, and then pirouettes that process into our hearts. And we, who have the mind and occasion to consider both that hand process and its results will, in doing so, be beguiled by wonder or joy or disquieted by shock or horror.
*Radipati is a regular Mmegi contributor