Reflections on Letters

I just started reading Hunter S. Thompson's book, The Proud Highway.  I have not gotten deep into the collection of personal letters, which make up the book.  However, I admire the strength necessary to publish private letters one has written.  

A certainty is that I could never do such a thing.  I once tackled an old friend in my new front yard as he read a note he found while helping me move into a new residence.  Great first impressions for the neighbors, two adullt males wrestling over a piece of paper on a frozen tundra of grass in December, but he was reading aloud a ten year old letter that was long thought to have been destroyed. Fortunately I won the match and disposed of the letter.     

I recall that episode often in my classes when discussing Netiquette; once something is written anywhere it is no longer private.  People do not realize that in this era of connectivity.  Social media in its current form was called "Science Fiction" back then, much to my good fortune. I cannot fathom turning my teenage and early 20's correspondence into public discourse; not that they were that interesting to begin with...

I have been perusing through the book of letters, not voyeuristically, but with an interest to see how his writing evolved over time and how he strove to improve on his style.  

It has motivated me to blog more, keeping me on task with my goal.