The Pen is mightier than the Keyboard

I've probably had this debate a million times. But I think I'm right here. There are certain things about the Pen that make it a lot mightier than the Keyboard.

One of my arguments went something like this:

When you use a pen to write your name, say Andrew, each letter is formed differently. You have to use your hand and stroke each letter differently from the next one. You're engaged not only in thinking about the result, the name Andrew, but also about how each letter should be formed. However, when you type your name on a keyboard, you can use a single finger and use the same repetitive tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, six times, to write out the name. The letters are anonymous and the only thing that distinguishes them is their position on the keyboard. It's a cold, numb and mechanical process, devoid of feeling, emotion or any consciousness. It's like pressing a button to lower a mechanical saw to slice a branch off a tree versus using a mechanical saw, held in both hands to cut the same branch. In the first case, you see the result from afar, while with the saw in your hand, you feel the vibration of the motor as the teeth bite into the wood.

I'm sure that sometime in the future, someone will realise that a creative slice of our brain has forever been atrophied.

To add to this issue, you've probably read about the reasons why the qwerty keyboard layout is the way it is. My favourite one is a common belief, though untrue, that the keys were arranged to slow down the typist. In actual fact, the true touch typist has a lot of skill in moving their fingers along the keyboard and for the most part type much, much  faster than anyone writing by hand.

But then, it's not always about speed. It's not about putting down the most stuff as quickly as you can. It's not about just filling pages with words. It's about crafting.

Say what you will, messy, rough, crude, course, jagged and uneven. There's something human about the pen and about handwriting. It's like a comfortable pair of jeans, open shirt, rough sandals versus the clinical, disinfected look of the uniforms worn by the officers of the starship Enterprise.