Intelligent people usually don’t start their letters like this: “Say my man, Ain’t nothing happening man…” But then, no one ever accused the boxer formerly known as Cassius Clay of being particularly intelligent (right?). Please note, however, that this guy who threw fists for a living and converted to Islam actually has penmanship that puts most people educated in my generation to shame. Sure, I’ve seen great handwriting from some of my artsy friends, but you can always tell when someone has artistic talent and writes neatly and you can also tell when someone has simply been taught, typically against his will, to write neatly because it’s a civilized thing to do.
What does passable penmanship say about a person? It says he’s a decent, civilized fellow who respects those around him. It says he believes his ideas matter and are worth communicating, that he matters and is worth other people noting. And it says that he put some time, even a short time, into preparing a letter, rather than just scribbling down points that came to him. I hope I’ll live to see a day when we go back to penmanship taught as a serious subject in schools.
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I guess you wouldn’t like my penmanship much =P http://www.xamuel.com/shorthand-writing/ Read it and weep! ;D