Writing, Speaking and Connecting

Yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of the ordination of Father John Wires, who often serves as supply clergy at Grace Church. We celebrated this during and after the 10:00 am Choral Eucharist -- he preached during and we had a cake after. We love cake almost as much as we love wine, and cake goes much better with after-church coffee.

I enjoy Father John's sermons because his voice is deep and clear, and I always learn something new. This time was no different. In a sermon entitled "Orally Speaking" he preached about the importance of words, and of speech, to communicate things of great importance. In Genesis we're told the story of creation, how God says words such as "Let there be light" and these things miraculously appear. John begins his gospel with the words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

What I didn't realize before Father John mentioned it was that written words were originally meant to be read aloud. (How did I miss that in my otherwise-excellent liberal arts education?) In ancient times, documents were read aloud so that the illiterate (which included most people) could benefit. The Romans, who were great orators, were in the habit of "declaiming" a text, even in private. But after St. Augustine of Hippo visited St. Ambrose of Milan, he wrote the following in Book 6, chapter 3 of his Confessions:

"When [Ambrose] read, his eyes scanned the page and his heart sought out the meaning, but his voice was silent and his tongue was still. Anyone could approach him freely and guests were not commonly announced, so that often, when we came to visit him, we found him reading like this in silence, for he never read aloud."

Augustine probably would not have mentioned this if it hadn't struck him as something entirely unusual.

Why do I think this is important? Because I think it marks a change in human culture.  Reading aloud was usually a social activity that included a reader and an audience. There were probably times when the audience would listen quietly and respectfully, but I bet there were plenty of times when the audience would add comments and maybe engage in a little heckling (I'm thinking of today's political speeches). But even if it involves communication from the writer to the reader, silent reading isn't a social activity because it isn't two-way communication. It's something interior, which involves listening to not only the "voice" of the writer, but also the reader's quiet inner voice that lends personal meaning that is unique to each and every reader.

I wonder whether we are currently experiencing a further change in human culture as a result of social media, texting and electronic gaming. In the past I might have telephoned a friend to share something I thought she would be interested in; now I'm more likely to post it on her Facebook page. I've heard other people (far younger than me) complain when someone leaves them a voicemail message instead of just texting. And playing web-based versions of "Words With Friends" has taken the place of sitting around the Scrabble board. I bet that you've also seen a photo or cartoon of two people sitting side by side (or back to back), texting each other.

I know that some elementary schools have stopped teaching cursive writing and replaced it with keyboarding skills. Even my own handwriting, once elegant, has atrophied from lack of practice. It doesn't just "flow from the pen" any more. (Sigh.) Language seems to be changing so that complete thoughts can be made to fit into 40-character spaces (LOL). And it's impossible to read someone's body language in an email message.

I hope you'll believe me when I tell you that I'm not necessarily complaining about this. There are definite advantages. I love to receive pictures and funny memes. I can now stay in touch with more people than I ever did before, no matter how far away they are. In fact, less than two weeks ago I spent time with two friends in Toronto -- it was the first time the three of us got together since sixth grade, fifty years ago, and we reconnected through Facebook.

But I do wonder whether we will lose some amount of skill in face-to-face oral communication, just through lack of practice. Will we lose the ability to connect closely with others? Maybe Skype will solve that problem. And will there be anyone left to read the handwritten documents of yesterday? Maybe not, but I won't worry about it, I'm sure there will be an app for that.