Chidester

Jessica Chidester
Professor Miner
Position Final
May 3, 2015

Handwriting: Archaic Pastime or Modern Necessity?

Language is quite possibly humanitys greatest accomplishment. Being able to share our
thoughts and ideas with each other is what allowed our civilizations to flourish and grow.
Without language it would be difficult for humans to function in groups and work together to
build our world. Humanity expanded this ability to communicate by inventing written language.
Messages that could travel vast distances, cross continents, much farther than a person could
yell. We honed this skill over centuries producing many unique writing systems, some of which
ae still used today. But with the dawning of the computer age, the hand written word is dying a
slow death.

For the last few thousand years knowing how to read and write brought you a higher
status in life. You could move from the bottom class of society up the ranks to the high classes
just by knowing this skill. Handwriting was very valuable to our ancestors, not only did it help
with long distance communication, but it also kept our historical records of the past intact.
People would practice their craft for hours, copying entire tomes of knowledge by hand with
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precision. They would become so good at their craft, they could produce identical letters each
time with almost no variation in shape. For thousands of years we used this system to preserve
our cultural heritage, knowledge, history, and even religious ideals.

Long gone are those times of yore, though. Today more and more people rely on
computers to write. Vanished are the days of pen and paper, now is the dawning of the digital
age. Slowly the art of handwriting is becoming a thing of the past. Why practice for hours
working on a skill that a machine can complete for you with the simple stroke of a key. Most
people today find writing anything by hand to be a waste of time. Why write your great aunt
Dolly a letter by hand when you can just send her an email in a fraction of the time? Even
mathematics is being done on a computer keyboard. Situations like these are why handwriting is
becoming a lost art.

What exactly is being lost? Many nations consider calligraphy, the art of writing, to be a
valuable asset to their culture. In addition to losing the artistic value of writing we are losing a
great physical tool that benefits our children. Practicing handwriting develops fine motor
muscles in the hand and arm. The same muscles children will need to be precise in the future for
many professions including being a surgeon or an artist. According to The American Journal of
occupational Therapy, Handwriting is a great benefit to elementary aged students. Regardless of
this, 45 states have dropped handwriting from our core education model in favor of computer
based skills. (L.A. Times) Preserving this aspect of humanity is important to understanding
where we are as a species, and where we have come from. It is also important to preserve our

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ability to write to each other in an analog fashion instead of digitally in case our technology fails
us. Our Earth is a fragile world, there are at least two scientifically known mass extinction events
that have taken place on Earth in the past. If something cataclysmic happened to our species and
our technology failed, the ability to send legible messages to each other would be necessary for
our continued survival. In this sense handwriting is still a valuable tool for us to keep in practice
today.

In conclusion, I believe even though computers might be faster and more convenient
means of writing we should still practice handwriting in our lives. Not only to preserve the past,
but as a lesson to our future generations. You never know when the ability to pen a message
instead of text a message might be necessary in your life.

Chidester

Works Cited

Deborah Marr; Sandra B. Dimeo. Outcomes Associated With a Summer Handwriting Course
for Elementary Students.
ajot.aota.org The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. January 2006. Web.
May 3, 2015.

Times editorial board. No longer swearing by cursive writing.

Articles.latimes.com L.A. Times. Sept 4, 2013. Web. May 3, 2015.