While I was brainstorming ideas for this blog post, my own scenario popped up in my mind. I always have this dilemma before the beginning of every semester of university. I always get confused whether I should use my iPad for typing up my notes or should I buy notebooks for writing them. This happens because although my handwriting is really really good, I tend to write really slow and end up lagging behind in catching up professor’s notes. But I always go for the notebook option than the virtual one.

So why do I always end up choosing writing?

I have a lifelong love for pens and pencils and notebooks and writing. It really fascinates me! And it is one thing I am actually good at! That’s why I love bookstores. Particularly the one in our university. Whenever I feel low or I just have nothing to do, I go to the bookstore to check on new stationery and art stuff. And in every 2-3 visits, I have to add an item to my personal stationery collection.

Before I lose the direction of this post, I will come on to the main point behind this post.

I see that in this generation, and as these years go by, people are shifting from writing to typing. Typing on laptops, tablets, and even smartphones. As technology shifts to digital forms (or should I say it already did long ago) people are more engaged in using digital devices to make notes, add important dates and times to their calendar, and other things that involved writing before. And digital devices are also being used more because people have started to look carefully into sustainability and green environment issues. I understand and I respect how people globally are working towards a green environment, but what I don’t really approve of people shifting into digitizing their lives and work so much, that they lose their ability to handwrite.

And in the end handwriting is an ability and an art, and under none of these does typing come into (well not under art at least). And what people forget is that there are many fatal risks on damaging your fingers in typing but there are a few in writing (if one hand goes numb, there is always the possibililty amd potential to write using the other).

Not getting into the medical reasons of why writing is superior than typing, I believe that there is some special feel and enjoyment in writing, which I do not feel while typing. Typing is such a monotonous exercise to my fingers that after a while I get fed up of it. However writing is so much more fun; you can change your style whenever you want, you can write from your right or left hand (if you are ambidextrous). And you can write in those fancy secret/hilarious messages on the corner of the page which can be passed onto your friends during lectures or meetings (if that’s possible).

And maybe if you’re really good in handwriting, you can pursue a career in calligraphy or any other arts discipline whereas being a fast typer doesn’t take you anywhere (unless you’re a good content writer).

So I would really like people to look into this. I don’t mean to say that writing is dying out so quick, but it will take a few years to do that.

Here’s a lil’ something to which I agree and at the same time don’t!

Ciao till my next post!