The Philosophical Difference Between Pens and Pencils

I couldn't wait to write with pens when I was younger. I distinctly remember in 4th grade when pens was finally on the school shopping list. No idea why it was so important, but that was the year cursive started also so maybe that added to my excitement. Skip forward to today I love writing with pencils, No #2, lead. I hate mechanical pencils...I should not have to load the lead myself! I started to think what my fascination for pencils is, since not to long ago I only wanted to write with pens. There is one thing that makes pens and pencils unique it is the one fact is more permanent than the other. As you get older you began to realize, how much value is placed in the permanent. You are wiser after your mistakes, but sometimes if you could you wish you could take certain things back...sort of erase them, not everything, but some things. When I use pencils I erase what I don't need and it is no longer an issue. I start over with basically a clean slate. With pens I scribble out (or draw a line through), yes they have erasable pens, but those suck the images never seem to be completely gone after I finish erasing; however with pens whatever I write is still there. The scribble shows the error, but also the moment of correction, which at times is important. It is important to note that you made a mistake and that you are trying to move past it. So the pen versus the pencil makes me realize how things that seemed important once upon a time are really not...how sometimes I wish life was more erasable like a pencil, but I realize the depth of the pen's permanency. While life with pencils seems carefree and wonderful, I have to think of the benefits of the pen. Most legal documents can only be done with black or blue ink, permanent, but extremely important. I think now about how I wish I could go back to the day when writing with pencils, or pens, was my biggest issues. When life little mistakes were simple to erase. How decisions I make today are more permanent like the pen I longed to use. While this makes for an interesting contrast I find it so amazing that the little things make such a big difference.