Nowadays “keyboards and touch pads” dominate our written form of communication…
With so many people composing their “school reports,” “business memos,” “personal emails” and even “shopping lists” on these electronic devices, writing in cursive is a “dying art…”
Cursive writing was refined and standardized by a monk, way back in the 700’s… Charlemagne had become distressed by the “state of education” in his empire.
Learning had retreated to the monasteries. “The royalty” could not read and “even bishops” could not spell.
The “monks” who were responsible for copying books also could not read and had “poor handwriting.” They were quite literally “distorting the text” prompting Charlemagne to commission Monks to set up schools of instructions…
The monks established writing standards that are still in use today: 1) uniform spelling, 2) well formed lower case letters, 3) capitals to begin a sentence and lower case to continue, 4) space between words, 5) standard punctuation, 6) Division into sentences and into paragraphs.
Some will be very happy the day that cursive writing becomes extinct…
They are not concerned by the “misspellings” and “grammatical errors” that litter most emails. They do not believe that the inability of “college graduates” to write “readable reports” is important.
They will argue that digital communication is better because it is faster, easier and more efficient.
Cursive writing is “a demanding skill” even if you only want to have legible handwriting.
You could say that it “builds character” and that is why – I do not believe – that it is a good thing for us to lose the skill.
The student must master “the design” and “alignment” of each letter, the “proportionate spacing of words” and a “consistent style.” It requires patience, practice, perseverance and discipline. It teaches “obedience” to a prescribed format.
Maybe that is why people are so eager to see cursive writing go the way of the dinosaurs.
“Obedience” to a set of prescribed rules is difficult. “Rules” inhibit behavior. “Regulations” restrict response. “Rules” define what is right and what is wrong and the consequences for wrong behavior.
Our “distaste for writing” is merely a reflection of a much deeper problem-“our aversion for rules and laws.”
By nature, we are “free spirited” people.
We long to “escape the restrictions” others place on us.
We enjoy “the freedom” to make “our own choices” and “live our own lives.”
We long to do our own thing.
Jesus tells us that those “who love him” “obey him.” – ICK!!!!
Those are difficult-foreign-hard-to-hear- words-today! To say obey makes some people cringe and crazy!!!
Obedience requires “limitations.” It “restricts” behavior. This is not very popular stuff today!!!
It demands “conformity” to a “standard.” “Not me, I ain’t conforming to no standard!”
“Obedience” acknowledges that “boundaries have been established” and should not be transgressed. Even love assumes “obedience.”
It assumes that we are willing to do whatever “the other person” wants and needs.
Love calls us to “change our behavior” to conform to the “desires, wishes, and needs” of another person.
Jesus says that if we “obey” his teaching, the Father will love us and will send the Holy Spirit.
For the early church, one word captured the importance of the Spirit, not “power,” not “comforter,” not “counselor,” not “advocate,” but “holy.”
The word is used to refer to items that are “set apart” from the common, mundane and ordinary and are “designated” to serve a religious or sacred purpose.
The Spirit also has been “set apart.”
It does not determine its own course of action. It does not set its own plans. It does not create a new system of spiritual truth. The Spirit is sent by the Father and Son for one purpose, “to teach believers” by reminding them of the things that Jesus taught. The mission of the Spirit is to “guide us into all truth.”
Living in “faithful obedience” is also “demanding.” Forces push and pull on us. We feel pressure from people to conform to “their expectations” even when we know that they are wrong.
“Inconsistent living” will not bring the peace that Jesus promised.
“Haphazard following” will not produce “spiritual maturity.” Instead, it requires a “disciplined- intentional life.”
That’s why we need things like “cursive hand writing” and the Holy Spirit to remind us that the fast and the easy and the efficient are not always the better way. Amen!