An Ode to Dying Careers

In a recent Forbes magazine article, career opportunities that will be declining during the recession were listed. If you don't believe me, check out the link:
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111881/careers-headed-for-the-trash-pile

Amongst the listed careers were the likes of stage performers, holistic healers, and postal workers. These careers may not seem to be related, but in the grand scheme of things, they represent a segment of things people are not willing to pay a lot of money for. For example, a one hour acupuncture treatment can be around $100 (Lexington prices). Stage shows ranging from Broadway to Vegas certainly see declines in a time when people have to be tight with their money. And we all know about the postal service's decline with the advent of e-mail.

Although I am saddened that many lion tamers and acupuncturists will now find themselves jobless, the real thing I want to focus on here is the postal service. Yes, I realize that it's a lot easier to shoot out an e-mail than to actually write a letter, and in many situations things need to get somewhere fast. But, it's also very alarming to me that the lack of real communication in society is declining and that we are all becoming impersonal.

Sitting down and writing someone a real piece of communication with a pen and paper may actually be one of the nicest things you can do for someone these days. It shows that:
a) You know how to write and spell (hopefully)
b) You took 5-10 minutes out of your busy day to think about someone and then think about something to write them
c) You spent 37+ cents on mailing said item and additional time to track down a mailbox

I, for one, know that I am exceptionally happy to receive one lone piece of personal mail in my sea of credit card offers, coupons and bills. I've kept old postcards and letters from friends over the years, unlike e-mails I've deleted with a simple click. I also remember my grandmother spending time writing to old friends on her note pad with the rose design. She always had envelopes, stamps and paper ready to go in case she wanted to send something out, or to return the favor of an old friend writing her a letter.

Newsweek has a pretty decent article about the lost art of letter writing: (http://www.newsweek.com/2009/01/17/the-good-word.html). Maybe it sums up my point better than I can myself: "Writing a lot of letters will not turn you into Lincoln or Shakespeare, but if you do it enough, you begin to put your essential self on paper whether you mean to or not. No other form of communication yet invented seems to encourage or support that revelatory intimacy."

Many people in our lives deserve this sort of attention and intimacy, yet very few get to see this side of ourselves. Maybe the challenge here is to go out, buy a card or note paper, and send something out. This may involve actually finding out what a friend's address is, and even using your cursive handwriting. But, I think it might be a good challenge. Otherwise, you could always support the lion taming industry by buying a circus ticket. I'll let you decide.