For centuries since man developed a system of writing, he had been doing so by hand. Of course, the Industrial Revolution brought about the printing press and later the typewriter came to fruition, but this is not feasible equipment to use in a college or university scenario. Thus hand-printing remained popular for in-class writing assignments and the like. But now that personal computers have reached the point of integration into the lives of nearly every person in the country, they have become the main tool that is used to compose anything involving words. Entire labs filled with computers are present throughout the campus of Augusta State University, and they provide the students with a means to more efficiently complete their writing assignments, using an electronic keyboard instead of a pen. This makes the student's life much easier, to be sure, but how is it contributing to the art of writing by hand?

Personal computers are not feasible in every writing scenario. For instance, most grocery lists and random notes are still hand-written by most people. But in recent years we have seen the rise in popularity of "personal data assistants," which are small, electronic devices one can carry around and take notes with, using a strange sort of proprietary hieroglyphics. Of course, laptop and palm-top computers have also assisted man in his burden of writing by hand. His hands are still used in these scenarios, to be sure, but only to press buttons. This is not that hard to do compared to holding a pen or pencil and forming lines and shapes onto a piece of paper.

So what does the future hold for the art of writing? In the next century, will we see the eventual disappearance of handwriting and the global dominance of computer data entry? It is starting to look that way, as new innovations are made every year in the area of personal computing. Computers are getting smaller and smaller, and humans just love to be able to press a series of buttons in an expedient manner in order to produce text, rather than writing anything by hand.

Thus it is very likely that by the time you or your children reach the age of a senior citizen, you will be one of the few remaining humans who has mastered (or at least practiced) the lost art form of producing letters and text through the movement of a writing instrument held in the hand in a specific manner. And then you will achieve the dream that all individuals hold in their heart -- that of becoming an old master whose wisdom and stature are revered by everyone in his village.