It is rare to come across someone who will put pen to paper. Where is the need in grabbing some ink when you have a computer willing to loyally store all the information you could ever imagine? It’s so much easier to type, writing by hand is messier. Collaboration becomes more feasible online. Hard-copy things can get lost quicker. Yes, all of these things are true. But there is something about the way a pen feels on paper, the unique way hands scribble notes, jot down ideas. It’s not just a uniform font. No letter looks the same. The hard-copy has character to it. It can be distinguished as yours and not someone else’s. It can be used as a trademark, a signature. It is you.
Of course there are numerous studies that show the benefits of handwriting as opposed to typing. The brain transfers the information from short-term to long-term, it improves your understanding of certain topics, it engages you, yada yada yada. But studies are just numbers. Although there are people who participate in the study for the results to be shared, the “studies” are statistics. They are percentages. The world has gotten so used to labeling us in different categories saying we can be this, but not that. We can choose to do this, but we can’t do that. It’s not our type. It’s not YOU. Well here’s the thing, nobody has the right to tell you what your type is. Nobody has the right to tell you what you can’t do. Nobody has the right to tell you who you are. Only you provide those answers.
When it comes to handwriting, there is something about checking off a box, crossing off an item on the list, or marking off a day on the calendar that brings satisfaction. It is a specific action that marks the completion of an event you noted. Something you told yourself you needed to get done. Clicking “Complete the Lesson” on the computer does not give the same sense of achievement. It just feels like another click. It doesn’t feel special. What makes handwriting so unique?
People can say all they want that it’s the brain, but let’s face it. The brain can trigger all of these emotions, but what really makes handwriting so sacred is the fact that it’s ours. It’s our line that is crossed off. It is our day that has been completed. Have you ever thought about how nobody can write your exact same story, but anyone can type it? Ponder that for a moment. If someone wanted to type up your story, and they used the same language as you, they could do so easily. Using just the click of a mouse, the font can be changed to reflect your personality, the details can be added, the blanks can be filled. In fact, this can even all be done on your account. But nobody can write for you. Yes, there are ways that people have scribed if there happened to be a group project that has needed that in the past. Yes, there are representatives that write according to the common consensus. People do that all the time. But that’s not what I’m talking about.
What I am speaking of is the specific way in which you write something. Anything. Draw a line on a piece of paper, and then ask the person next to you to draw a line. Most likely, if the point was not to copy, the lines looked different. That other person did not have your line, you did not have theirs. That is what makes handwriting so unique. It’s yours. Nobody can take it away from you. It is specific to you. It is tied to you. That line has your name on it, and nobody else’s. Somehow, your brain told your hand to draw that line, and the other person’s brain told their hand to draw theirs. There is no mistaking the lines. They are clearly different.
Sometimes we dread the cramping of our hands when we write an essay, or the smear marks on the sides of our palms once we have written in pencil (lefties, I’m talking to you guys). But looking at the way we put a pen to paper and we fill up all the boxes, those words came from your brain. It is actually proven that some of your best thinking is done with writing. Putting a pen to paper. So if this is the case, why don’t we hand-write more? Why don’t we make it a staple? Well guess what? Nobody says we can’t.
Next time you take notes, try picking up a pen. Next time you make a list or set a reminder, make it on a sticky note instead of your google calendar. Allow yourself to feel the accomplishment of crossing off an item on the list. Checking off a box. Do it. In fact, do it more than once. Go throughout your day, and instead of checking the reminder off, cross it off. Make it more permanent. Seal the deal. Make it official.
The writing’s on the wall. What are you wanting to say?