functionalStoic

2 min read

Letter Writing for Resilience

Metadata

  • Author: people/authors/sarah-m-chappell

  • Full Title: Letter Writing for Resilience

  • Summary: The author reflects on the joys and anxieties of letter writing in a world dominated by fast technology. They emphasize that waiting for a response can build resilience and acceptance of uncertainty. Despite not knowing if their letter was received, they find value in the act of writing and connecting through snail mail.

  • URL: https://sarahmchappell.substack.com/p/letter-writing-for-resilience

  • Create a note “On Uncertainty”. A section on the benefits of it might be helpful

Highlights

  • ‘Twas not so long ago that not knowing was the norm. You would mail a letter, hope someone got it, and that’s it. (View Highlight)
  • I was raised in a thank you note household. For every gift, a thank you note. I spent years trying to avoid this responsibility, but now I love it. Thank you notes for dinner. Thank you notes for gifts. Thank you notes anytime! (View Highlight)

I also like this idea. But should act on it way more often!

  • Time has sped up, and any delay is a potential problem. What have we lost with the collapse of that interstitial time? With tracking of every delivery, of every move, of our friends and lovers? What have we lost without waiting? (View Highlight)
  • Maybe physical mail, snail mail, so slow “will it even show” letters are a way to build some resilience in the face of the unknown. (View Highlight)
  • The more we hand over our agency to tools for the sake of perceived productivity gains, the more we lose our ability to accept the core state of our existence: uncertainty. (View Highlight)
    • Create a note “On Uncertainty”. A section on the benefits of it might be helpful
  • I still don’t know if my friend got my letter. I don’t want to know5. There is only one option, really: write them again. (View Highlight)
  • I’m almost done reading Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence by Dan McQuillan and I highly recommend it. McQuillan is a lecturer in Creative and Social Computing and has a PhD in physics: he can explain the tech, but marries it with an astute yet accessible analysis of the social impacts of generative AI. Extremely readable with strong examples of the ways AI and machine learning are already causing harm to our most vulnerable neighbors. (View Highlight)

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