January 28th, 1986 was a day that many of us won't forget. The Florida sky was blue. The air crisp as people gathered for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The first astronaut teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was to make history by soaring into the sky and to teach class from space. Her parents watched proudly, beaming with a joy that sometimes only a parent can know. They were still expressing that joy when the Challenger veered from a straight path and began to fall from the sky. It took her parents a moment to realize that something terrible had happened.
That was the visual I remember that day. Sometime later, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech to reassure a nation coping with grief. It was a line in that speech that I will never forget, because even today it evokes within me an emotion of sadness and grief that has been imprinted into my soul: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.' The words were taken from a sonnet, "High Flight" written during World War II by an American aviator serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
So now I wonder, have we lost our ability to take pen to hand and communicate with written words. Words, that when assembled into a structure can bring pause, inspire into action or evoke an emotion. How important is it anymore? Some may think that it really isn't that crucial in this day and age, but I disagree.
In business we still need to write letters, whether short memos, sales proposals or just a Thank You for your business. They need to be written accurately and convey a message. Would you do business with some who writes like they text? I'm guessing that you might have some second thoughts about partnering with that business.
Love letters used to be written all the time. Words that eloquently described feelings for someone. How many love letters are tucked away in "Memory Boxes" stained with tears from the time they were first read?
On the other hand, ending relationships used to involve writing letters. While it may have had a different emotional result, time was taken to communicate why it was being done. Now, it seems it's a simple text, devoid of any emotion.
Writing for personal joy is one thing I enjoy. If it's not read by anyone, that's okay. I still enjoy it. With blogs, anyone can take a few moments to share their thoughts or start that manuscript. Even if you don't have to write anything, do it. You'll be a better person for having mastered the gift of the word.
For www.presteejustees.com and www.mwcenterprises.biz, our words on shirts are just bits and pieces of text. Just a synopsis. It's the rest of the time that we write for a greater purpose, to bring pause, inspire into action or evoke that emotion.
In speaking, you will be remembered for a moment. When you write, you will be immortal.
