The Difference Between Email and Traditional Mail
Email and conventional mail, or "snail mail" as we like to call it these days, are different in many ways. The obvious difference is the time that it takes to write a mail and sending it to a recipient. Email is delivered in mere seconds whereas normal mail takes about 3-5 days. Email is delivered electronically over the Internet. Conventional mail does not have that luxury and requires physical delivery, which costs money.
There is another important difference, however. There is something wonderful and nostalgic about receiving a letter that cannot be replicated through email. A handwritten letter that is delivered by mail feels more personal. It contrasts with the plain, black text of emails. People also put more thought into what they say when they write it by hand and send it out to someone, knowing that it will take several days for it to reach the recipient.
I may be young at 22 years old but I have actually sent a few letters before, albeit not to anyone in the United States. When I was in Japanese class in High School, one of our assignments was to write letters in Japanese to pen pals in Japan. The high school students in Japan were also asked to write letters to American high school students in English. There is something about handwriting letters back and forth to someone that can't be captured through email. I hand wrote the letters in Japanese and drew small pictures about things that the pen pal and I talked about, including Pikachu, cars, Star Wars, anime etc. He would also write back and make his own drawings. His english was not perfect but it was funny to see the eraser smudges where you can tell that he messed up spelling a word and had to re-write it. It took a while to receive letters back from the pen pal, but every time I finally got a letter back, I was excited to read it. With email, it is almost instantaneous and there is not much suspense or excitement.
So yeah, I will always have a soft spot for normal mail even though email is much more convenient.
There is another important difference, however. There is something wonderful and nostalgic about receiving a letter that cannot be replicated through email. A handwritten letter that is delivered by mail feels more personal. It contrasts with the plain, black text of emails. People also put more thought into what they say when they write it by hand and send it out to someone, knowing that it will take several days for it to reach the recipient.
I may be young at 22 years old but I have actually sent a few letters before, albeit not to anyone in the United States. When I was in Japanese class in High School, one of our assignments was to write letters in Japanese to pen pals in Japan. The high school students in Japan were also asked to write letters to American high school students in English. There is something about handwriting letters back and forth to someone that can't be captured through email. I hand wrote the letters in Japanese and drew small pictures about things that the pen pal and I talked about, including Pikachu, cars, Star Wars, anime etc. He would also write back and make his own drawings. His english was not perfect but it was funny to see the eraser smudges where you can tell that he messed up spelling a word and had to re-write it. It took a while to receive letters back from the pen pal, but every time I finally got a letter back, I was excited to read it. With email, it is almost instantaneous and there is not much suspense or excitement.
So yeah, I will always have a soft spot for normal mail even though email is much more convenient.
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