Communication in a time long since forgotten

I have been in a rather contemplative mood as of late. Perhaps it is the fact that for the past several weeks I have immersed myself into the history of 1500s England and the reign of King Henry the VIII while watching the 4 seasons of the Showtime show, The Tudors. I have always been fascinated with the English monarchy and for some reason the reign of the Tudor dynasty is the most intriguing. What's not to love? There was sex and drinking and jewels and dresses and intrigue. True, there was a butt load of death, most of it at the hands of Henry himself, but I think we forget that first and foremost, he was a man first.

(No he didn't look like this, but damn did Jonathan Rys Myers do such a good job at playing him)

 

 

(King Henry VIII after his victory in France in 1545)

But I have to say that though Henry was king and yes he was a man, the time they lived in was magical. Well, yes, I understand it wasn't so magical for the poor and yes I am romanticizing the time period, but I would have liked to visit there for a day. To receive the royal court treatment - the dresses, the dancing, the wine - would be amazing. A time when men were men and woman were....well they weren't very well respected (except for maybe Catherine Parr....she was made regent when Henry left to battle in France)  But at least a woman was bowed to and men stood up when a woman came into a room. 

Well regardless of how men or women were treated during that time, I still find myself thinking about the way people spoke to each other. Each word was carefully crafted and constructed to convey what they were trying to get across. Even the simple manor of apologizing was a long dissertation. People don't speak like that to each other anymore. We spend more time using short hand or text speak and less time face to face and actually listening to what the other person is saying. Words don't mean the same thing as they did in a time when words were the only thing many people had. Language has also been another fascination of mine and I find it such a heart ache that people can't speak to each other anymore without using "omg" or "lol" in quickly typed messages to each other. Whatever happened to the day when letters were written with such care that each words was a statement of intent? Wax seals and envelopes and parchment are items of a long forgotten past. A few years ago I had a was seal made for myself. It's beautiful and I use it whenever I can. 

(The artfully crafted wax seal I had made)

 

 

Well my friends, I bid you all a good night, but first I charge each of you that read this with a task. Take a few minutes and write down a letter to someone you haven't spoken to in a while - or even someone you have spoken to in a while. I am sure that the note will be appreciated and well received. And guys, just a little tip - regardless of the times we live in - women still like love notes. So why don't you write one down? They mean a whole heck of a lot more than you might think and guess what....it's not corny or embarrassing to express feelings in words. It's actually quite encouraged.

Happy reading and happy writing!

~Anastasia