Some personal e-mail is entertaining. Who doesn't love a page full of pun-ny jokes? Some messages are touching. One I enjoyed recently linked to a video of a man and his disabled son who have competed as a team in athletic events all over the country. Others are just incredible, like the one linking to the artwork of sidewalk chalk artist Julian Beever. And of course, e-mail can be useful. It's an almost instant way to communicate travel plans or coordinate meeting schedules.
But all too often, e-mail is just disappointing. Oh, how many times I've laughed until my sides hurt, or thought of someone who'd really appreciate reading a poem or prayer that came my way, or wondered how that little start-with-your-age number trick worked...only to be turned off by a closing statement that implied an awful fate if I didn't forward the message. You know the type: "Now make a wish. Send this to ten friends in eight minutes, and your wish will come true within a week. Don't break the chain!"
Nothing makes me click "delete" faster than an e-mail that attempts to shame me into forwarding it. These messages are poignant and have a message truly worth passing along, then ruin it all by making a preemptive judgment: "Make your choice now. Don't think about who in your address book wouldn't want this story. You don't hesitate to forward jokes and pictures, so take a good look at yourself and see why you're not forwarding this. If you are not ashamed to share your faith, pass this along."
In e-mail as in any other writing, a well-crafted message speaks for itself. It doesn't need to use threats to get passed along. Many a good preacher will attest that evangelizing has to be subtle to be effective. Strong-arm tactics usually don't work. When I've taken the time to read an e-mail only to be threatened or have my morality questioned in its closing lines, I feel like I've been tricked. The only defense I'm left with is to delete.
And I do. Hmph.
© 2007 by AnnaLisa Michalski