In the last week, how many texts, emails or instant messages have you received? Most of you would probably answer, “too many to count.” In fact I would have the same answer too. Now, think about how many handwritten letters have you received? And by handwritten letters I mean a letter complete with stamp and envelope, sent via post office. Nobody? This is not surprising, considering the great advantages of technological communication that cause people to switch from communication to letter writing. According to an annual survey conducted by the United States Postal Service, in 2010, a typical household received a personal letter every seven weeks. This is a decline from the results produced in 1987, when a typical family received a personal letter every two weeks. If handwritten letters were compared to emails, yes, they would lose out in terms of ease, convenience, and speed of delivery; however, it would win based on value, impact and emotional sentiment. It is tragic to see how letter writing, for some people an art form, is slowly disappearing, being lost in favor of an alternative. The lost art of letter writing deserves to be revived, because there are so many characteristics of handwritten letters that trump those of a typed email. I wasn't truly aware of the rarity of letter writing until the time came when the only means of writing communicating with my brother at boot camp was through letters and I found myself thrust into new territory. There was some research involved and a little shopping trip for supplies. Everything, the type of paper, the type of pen, the color of the ink, the formatting and the content of the letter, it was all planned out. Through a handwritten letter, the writer's personality really shines through because... halfway down the paper... the tear stains were fully present, they couldn't have been seen on an email. All the tear stains would be on the keyboard at the writer's house. Overall, the physically written letter is preferable to the typed email because it has a certain effect and provides more information through small clues. With the advent of communication via the Internet, many people have abandoned the archaic method of communication - writing letters. We cannot deny that technological communication includes very persuasive advantages, but we have completely forgotten that communicating via handwritten letters comes with many other types of advantages, mostly overlooked. As the use of letters declines, this method will become extinct before we know it. This would be the ideal time to try to revive this means of communication before it is long forgotten by everyone.