An elderly client recently handed me a check in an envelope, and I found it both dated and so tasteful.
Which got me thinking that peer-to-peer payments is yet another element of day-to-day life we modernized out of elegance. Sure, Venmo and Revolut have streamlined payments into millisecond efficiency, but at what cost?
Google Maps lists the quickest routes, but why not the most beautiful route? The scenic route may be only a few minutes longer and justified by the pleasure of the detour.
I had a college professor (who I didn't appreciate enough!) who once bemoaned that the concept of to-go coffee was the turning point towards the downfall of our society. It was a stretch, but I see his point the more time passes.
I live in Portugal, where nothing is efficient, which can be immensely frustrating, yet it remains heavily based on human contact for most commerce. I pay my utility bills in cash, and while illogical, the monthly ritual has grown on me, if ever so slightly.
The deliberate (and on occasion performative) return to all things analog is a pleasant trend, but it is often inauthentic. We take film photos to share them online, omitting to even pick up the negatives from the camera store.
The modern world is filled with marvels, but hopefully it doesn’t eliminate the grace of a good old handshake.