Simplicity

Think of the last letter you wrote. Not an email you typed on your laptop. Not a text you sent. Not a tweet. Something you wrote by hand. Or a postcard you wrote with a fountain pen.

Now that we can send instant message by tapping on the smartphone, I have to concede that writing letter and buying postal stamp are much of a history. While it can't match electronic communication in terms of speed and convenience, writing letter nevertheless lays claim to an undisputed art.

Living frictionlessly, cautioned by the philosopher Oliver Burkeman, can often mean living thoughtlessly. Example: apps that will automatically wish your friends a happy birthday.

In fact, writing postcard on the road has been one of my favourite pastimes. To see Jasmine following my example as she writes holiday postcard is pure delight. During our Sydney trip, she was also delivering a handwritten letter from one of her classmates to a buddy who has moved to another country. Such is the beauty of writing and delivering letter. These are the moments when I think of the balance between the new and old.

Lest I begin to sound like an ancient curmudgeon, however, let me say that I taught my daughter how to make PowerPoint slides just before our Sydney trip. She loves it, too. And yet the next generation should not be deprived of the pleasure of simplicity, at least once in a while.