Letter no. 1: a personal contribution.

8th Feb 2013 (I know, this is a delayed posting...)

Isn’t life funny? I’d had the idea for something along the lines of ‘100 letters’ going around in my head for several months without taking any action, so much so that if you read my introductory post you’ll have read how I actually destroyed several examples of letters that I received literally just weeks before setting up this blog; needless to say, a move that doesn’t feel so smart in hindsight… But anyway, I did it, I got online and through this blog I launched my appeal for examples of real life, heartfelt human communication.

However, due to a combination of slight uncertainty and sheer life business I hadn’t actually got around to advertising this or widening my appeal in any way. Therefore you can imagine my surprise when 4 days later I arrived home to find a letter waiting for me.

I should point out that it was not a letter from a complete stranger, nor was it a letter from anyone aware of this project; it was a letter from a friend; a friend with whom things have been more than a little strained over the past 6 months or so. And yet there it was, a letter that I was not expecting at all and which meant more to me than I was expecting. Perhaps this is explained in part by the fact that I was subconsciously seeking some kind of sign? A sign that I alone don’t value letters? Who knows? I almost certainly shouldn’t take it as a sign, and I certainly shouldn’t be looking for signs.

I guess it was what it was; a letter from a friend that I enjoyed receiving and enjoyed reading. I think sometimes that is enough.

100 Letters - an introduction

 Hello

Welcome to 2013, a year in which our lives appear governed by a series of texts, tweets, status updates and other such rather impersonal forms of contact. We spend an average of over 4 hours each and every day online, uploading pictures of kittens dancing and forwarding apparently heartfelt images and messages from cause X, Y or Z. The majority of us appear to have more online ‘friends’ than we do in our day-to-day lives and while all of this is a testament to technology and the shrinking of the world it seems that we have undoubtedly lost something.

If I think back to some of the most honest communication that I have ever had from people it has not come from any of the aforementioned methods. Sometimes it’s come directly in conversation but on many occasions it has arrived via the hand, be it letter, postcard or, more recently, by email.

It strikes me that these are the occasions where somebody has taken the time to sit down and address his or her thoughts directly to YOU. It’s not simply the case that they happen to be on a social media website and it’s convenient to utter a few misspelt words in your direction; they’ve made a conscious decision to contact you.

Over the years I’ve received numerous cards, letters and postcards from friends, not as many as I would like but still enough to make me appreciate their value. Each one of these has been read, reread, reread again and stored, often for many years, to be enjoyed or agonized over at some unspecified point in the future.

I recently discovered a bundle of letters from somebody that I know very well, letters that I hadn’t read in perhaps 3 years, and, after rereading them for perhaps the 100^th time, I astonished myself by slowly and methodically burning each and every one of them. I am not trying to say that this was the right or the wrong thing to do but surely it demonstrates the power that the written word can have over us; I simply could not own these letters any longer.

Because that’s the point. Letters, like any form of communication, can’t always be positive. They can’t all tell us that we’ve won the lottery or that our dreams are about to come true; sometimes they must deliver heartbreak, that’s simply the nature of them.

We live in a highly technological age and one of the results of this is that much of life seems to have become disposable. If we don’t like something we simply press ‘ignore’ or ‘delete’. I desperately want to prove that communication has not been lost. I want to prove that we are capable of communicating in more than 140 characters. I want to prove that we care: care enough to send an extended piece of writing; I want to prove that we care enough to keep these pieces of writing.

If truth be told I don’t know the exact purpose behind this project. I can’t honestly say whether it is a selfish act aimed at some kind of self-gratification or whether it’s a rather grander sociological experiment aimed at discovering more about human nature. I suspect it lies somewhere in between.

What I can say is that this is not about me. I am one of over seven billion people on this planet and don’t doubt that a great number of this seven billion have more to say than I do.

I want to hear from you, whoever you are. The simple fact is that this is a level playing field. Who can judge that one letter is any more important than another? It doesn’t matter whether you’re royalty or whether you’re struggling just to survive; we all have a story to tell.

I have no desire to judge. No wish to comment on your life. All that I want to do is present the human side of communication. If you wish to remain anonymous, that’s absolutely fine. Likewise, if you want to give your name then of course that’s fine. If you want to provide some context to the letter then please do so; if not, then don’t. This is not supposed to be a comprehensive examination of someone’s private life; it’s intended merely as a snapshot; an entry point; something that likely will pose more questions then it will answer. For this I offer no apologies.

This is your chance to share. I encourage you to do so.

 

The rules/agreement:

1.     By sending me your letter you agree that I may display it online. No credit will be given to either yourself or me for the individual letter unless you wish to sign it.

2.    Don’t feel that you have to send me the original letter. These can be incredibly important and sentimental pieces of writing; a photocopy is fine. Please don’t simply send me a typed copy; I will assume that you’ve written it to yourself.

3.     Don’t edit anything. You will remain entirely anonymous unless you request otherwise, and any editing will undeniably alter the essence of the letter.

4.     A date, even if approximate, would be useful.

5.     If you wish to offer an explanation/context to the letter then feel free to do so. Often none is required but if you feel it would be beneficial then please do so.

6.     Remember that we all have a story to tell, a memory or experience to share. Each one is as valuable or important as the next.

7.     I would be a hypocrite if I expected people to respond to this without me offering something of my own. I promise that this will feature at least one personal contribution.

If you'd like to send me scans of a letter please email them to the100lettersproject@live.com or if you'd like to send physical copies then please email me to ask for an address.