Is The Pen Mightier Than The Keyboard?

Typing is faster and more convenient. You only get to use one object rather than two when you handwrite something. But anything that comes easy is just another way for us be lazier and lazier. Just like with everything else, the moment you stop using something, you lose the skills and talent to do that thing if you ever try to go back into it.

Like my best friend. She used to love writing back when we were still teenagers. But when she got a new computer and then had internet connection way earlier than the rest of us, she slowly stopped writing and relied on typing a lot. When she tries to write something on paper nowadays, her penmanship became unreadable and the letters are so tiny it’s like she got tired from writing halfway through the word. It’s hilariously pathetic.

And I get it. It’s a little inconvenient to still rely on paper and pen when you could just type anything down on your phone really quickly and easily. Not to mention that if you make a mistake, you can just easily erase it. You don’t get that kind of magic power for notebooks and paper.

Still, I didn’t stop writing my stories on paper even to this day. I’m glad I didn’t, because while my penmanship isn’t exactly calligraphy-worthy, I can still write readable words and sentences. My hand can still hold a pen upright and I can still press the right amount of strength and movement on my fingers for writing.

The healthier benefits

The best thing I noticed about writing things down by hand is that it’s easier to remember stuff after you write them down. Sure, it’s slower than typing, but there’s a significantly less percent chance of you remembering what you’re typing compared to when you’re writing by hand.

There’s also the chance of your critical thinking getting sharpened. This is mostly due to the fact that you’re actually processing the information that you write down. You get to store information a lot more and hence brain activity is actually still working when you write.

But I hear what you’re saying. You can do that when typing too. Sure.

Think about it this way. There isn’t really much exercise your hand is getting by typing. All you’re doing is tapping unto something compared to when you actually write. There is proper pressure and a tiny bit of energy being put down when writing, not to mention the strokes you work with counts as your fingers actually doing something aside from just pushing down buttons and touch screens. The pen is STILL mightier. In actuality, there is nothing wrong with relying on typing, but like with reading books vs reading eBooks, there is a healthier change when going back to the basics. It’s a lot more authentic and there is actually effort into both reading and writing.