Many of you know about the recent surgeries for my hands. For several years now it has been both difficult and painful to write. Oh, I could get by with the word processor, but it is not really the same. There is something incomparable between putting the words down on paper and typing into a computer.
As I regained the use of my right hand, I was encouraged to look into using a fountain pen. I remember the one I had in school (yes, I am that old and nerdy) but I lost it over the years – could not find the ink for it anymore. But when they were recently recommended to me, I remembered my old Parker and looked around.
I was amazed! Fountain pens are back and with vengeance. Anywhere from two dollar throw aways to pens that were hundreds of dollars. I went with my gut and purchased a Parker and a bottle of ink. First time I used the pen it was like finding an old friend.
So why am I telling you all this? Because in the course of our lectio many of us keep journals. You bring them to the meetings, you write profusely in them and you keep them for years. We all use the pen of modern choice, a ball point pen. And many of us are trying out several pens never quite finding one we like. When I picked up my Parker and wrote for the first time, I discovered that it was the pen I had been looking for and I never found in a ball point. The fountain pen was less stressful on the hand. It also struck me as very “monastic.” Simple and easy to work with but also a throw back to centuries before. Who could not be reminded of the image of monks in the Scriptorium, carefully copying out the Scriptures with quill pens?
So here are 5 reasons you should consider adding a fountain pen to your writing tools:
- Environmentally friendly: according to the EPA, Americans throw away 1.6 billion disposable pens every year. Fountain pens you buy for a lifetime and often become heirlooms.
- Less hand fatigue: Fountain pens are gripped lightly and you generally exert no pressure. Ball point pens require you to exert pressure and are not as comfortable in the hand. From personal experience fountains pens are easier on arthritic hands.
- Consistent writing experience. As long as you care for the pen it will write exactly on day 1 as on day 300 or day 3,000. The same cannot be said about ball point pens. As I mentioned above, my new Parker writes the same as my old Parker.
- Back to environment: Inks are kept in glass bottles and, usually, are biodegradable. Ball point pens are not biodegradable and are considered disposable. I even know of people who have tried using food color, but the coloring was inconsistent.
- Teaches you responsibility: St Benedict teaches us to care for our tools. A good pen is also a good tool. There is some simple care that must be done (about once a month). It is a tool, something that will keep, but it also means that you must keep up with it. In society we are taught to consume. A Fountain pen teaches the opposite, the only thing you consume is ink. A Fountain pen teaches responsibility, it is not just a pen, it is your pen!
So if you find your hand aching, or worse in pain, think about trading in that ball point for a pleasant surprise and get a fountain pen.
The Analog Oblate
