This is a time of the desecration of the written word. E-mail, texting, the decline of reading and the video age have all conspired to create a new and less precise language. It used to be difficult to send a letter. You had to take pen and paper and write something. You could tell if you made a mistake. You’d cross it out and start over. Throw away a sheet of paper. The sheer act of writing and concentrating on a page—even with a typewriter—made the act so different, so deliberate.

Today, it’s different and for the better. Instantaneous communication does provide significant societal benefits even if it has meant a decline in the quality and precision of the written word.

Virtually all technological advances, including e-mail and texting, have meant something positive for society. What is lost in verbal quality is gained in the ability to connect. We keep in touch with people all over with ease and that is a societal revolution that brings us together.

But those new forms of communication are not what is deployed when words must matter and effective communication is required. To achieve inspiration and motivation, more formal means are required, and that means the carefully crafted written word, using all the powers that have been bequeathed to us from the masters of our language.