The Summary
Since the advent of computers, handwriting has become a thing of the past for many. Many students have resorted to handing in typed assignments as they consider handwriting a tiresome activity, but a few still submit handwritten assignments. Using computers to type is easy and one is able to produce neat work.
It is also easy to correct typing errors using delete and back space keys when typing as opposed to handwriting. Besides, many schools only teach handwriting in the lower grades. Nevertheless, handwriting is convenient for scribbling short notes and reminders.
Moreover, handwriting provides a clear reflection of one’s personality; something that typed work can never bring out. For example, rushed scratches in handwritten piece of work could mean that the writer was angry while writing. It is for this reason that we can recognize one’s handwriting even without reading a word.
Furthermore, Julia Cameron insists in her book titled The Artists Way that writing once in a while is good exercise for the hand muscles. It is always surprising how teachers can write so much on the blackboard considering how tiresome the task can get. On the other hand, typing is less tiresome and one can type volumes of materials within a short time.
The Essay
The many technological developments since the 21st century has made work easy for us, but we always tend to cling to the old ways of doing some things. Why is this so? There are various advantages associated with doing some things in the old fashioned way.
First, some of the things we do in the old fashioned way are artistic. They represent acts that have been perfected over time and we would rather hold on to them because somehow we have learned to do them so well and find it hard to adopt the new ways.
For example, writing is an art that one perfects over years to be able to write neatly. Therefore, one would decide to hand write instead of typing because the result for either is the same.
Second, old fashioned ways of doing things have proven to be at times easier and cheaper. This is because the new technologies that act as alternative are either expensive to acquire and their usage requires some kind of training or may not be easily portable.
For example, owning a notepad computer may be too expensive for some people. Even if one decides to buy a desktop, it will still not be portable; therefore, one resorts to the old fashioned methods, i.e. handwriting.
Third, most of the old fashioned methods of doing things involve both the hand and the brain. This has some health benefits through exercising both hand and brain. This is, however, not the case for new technologies like typing where one just presses keys and tabs thus only exercising the hands.
Fourth, doing things the old fashioned way reveals one’s personality more than doing them the modern way. This is because we use our hands and creativity in most cases to produce the final piece of work. This, if well-done, could be more attractive to the eyes than the work done using the modern method.
For example, the work done by a person with neat and legible handwriting would always attract many readers as it stands out from the rest. Besides, things done using the old fashioned way is better appreciated. For example, a good handwritten piece of work is likely to be complemented than if the same piece of work was typed.
But how can the modern children learn the old fashioned way of doing things? We can use the following avenues to learn the old fashioned methods of doing things. Schools provide the first avenue for us to learn. We are taught how to write, cook, and hand sew.
Through such subjects, we are taught to perfect our hand skills while at the same time use the knowledge for examination purposes. Apart from school learning, we can acquire some of these skills by observing other people. For example, one may learn how to cook by just watching other people do it.
Better still, one can undergo some form of training so as to be able to do things the old fashioned way. For example, one may have to be trained for some time to gain the skills of hand sewing.
But for what reasons would one still resort to using these old fashioned methods even if the modern technology is available? First and foremost, the testing of one’s skills leaves very little room for modern technology. For example, sit-in exams demand that one presents handwritten work.
Besides, if one was trained using the old fashioned methods, e.g. in carpentry and sewing, then such a person will have no option, but to practice using the same old methods.
Second, people would do things the old fashioned way because they have the passion for doing it. This becomes a good enough reason for them not to adopt the modern way of doing things. For example, one could hand sew, not because they cannot access a sewing machine, but because they have the passion for hand sewing.
Third, the modern ways of doing things may at times be expensive making them inaccessible to many people. For example, students may resort to handwriting instead of typing because they do not have a computer of their own and it would be expensive to hire typing services.
All in all, doing things the old fashioned way reinforces one’s other skills. Doing things the old way provides the opportunity to perfect one’s work other than letting the machine do everything. This makes people to be cautious in their work to produce good results.
Keeping to the old fashioned ways of doing things also help us to keep our traditions and culture close. For example, people could use fire wood to cook instead of electric and gas appliances for fun and while performing traditional rituals especially during borne fires.
To sum up, the old fashioned skills that we learn can have a significant influence the world since more and more people are now beginning to embrace their culture. We can use these skills to earn one some cash simply by being creative and producing pieces of art work that are capable of attracting many customers. We can even use these skills to solve environmental problems.
For example, if someone makes traditional baskets, then all environmentally conscience people would opt to use such baskets as opposed to plastic bags. The old fashioned skills also have important health benefits, which can never be found in new technologies. For these reasons, let as all appreciate the old fashioned way of doing things and use them whenever it is appropriate.