Writing Emails ! Should it just be a formality ?

Those days are gone when people sent hand written letters to anyone. I was a big fan of writing letters to my friends and families, so much that half of my pocket money spent on buying postcards, envelop and stamps. At the same time, I used to get plenty of letters in return from my family and friends. New Year was the time when my expenses exceeded my pocket money in buying cards, and then postage stamps. Let me clarify you my pocket money never used to be hundred rupees here and there. So I used to have hard time in managing my snail mail hobby.

Even when I used to write letters, I never had the habit of just doing a formality. I would pour my heart out to whichever relation I am writing letter to.Of course the content of the letter would match with the depth and type of relations. All in all my letters used to be very intimate and enjoyable. That was what I was told from my family and friends. I never like to use short cut or wrote letter just out of formality. I took it as serious as I would take any thing else which was important in my life. The key to the letterbox used to be in my custody and no can even think of accessing those keys. Every day around 5:00pm used to be the best time of my life when I would step down to open the letter box with several thoughts in my mind thinking about letters I was expecting. Then I would read each of them with so much love and affection. That would be the saddest day when my letterbox would be empty. I was so much infatuated getting letters that even a small piece of add in the letterbox would please me a lot rather than seeing the letterbox completely empty.

Later time and things changed. Emails took the place of snail mails and so did the telephone and mobile phones. So first writing letters lessened, and then completely stopped. After a few years, sending greetings card on New Year also stopped. Now every thing was done by phone and emails. If you ask me, honestly, I did not like this change at all. Then I have to follow the norms. Still in the beginning, I continued my habit of writing letters but then not getting any reply as a letter form discouraged me to continue this habit any more.

Later I also acquired the habit to write emails. Again, only the mode changed, my style did not change a wee bit. I still take writing emails very seriously. For me it is not some thing like type few word, hit the send button and get over with it. When I write email, I show and have real compassion about every thing. As much as I can think of, I am very intimate in writing emails. When some one asks me some thing in his/her email, I try to solve or answer as passionately as I could. I feel the pain written in some of the emails. I not only reply to those email, but also keep the follow up routine on that matter for a long time, unless the other person closes all contact with me. May be the person I never take writing emails as a duty.

However, what bothers me is some people care less about writing email with even the faintest emotions. They will just write you a line or two, to get rid of that ritual of replying your email. I wonder how much time does it take an educated person to write few more lines by typing and showing some compassion. Some times the emails I get are so formal that I cannot believe that this email is some one forms my close family or friend. They look more like official orders or brochures filled with formalities. Those emails just tick me off. No one forces any one to write something, which they do not mean. Just stop writing, why so much formality.

Then not every one thinks like me. May be I am being stupid of going aboard or expecting a lot form every one’s mail. May be I am being very persuasive. Therefore, I have decided that from now on ward I will also do the same as other people do. May be that way people will think that I am such a busy person that I do not have much time to write few more lines or show a little more compassion.