the mighty email

When was the last time you received a real email? I don’t mean automated promotions or spam. I mean a genuine, thoughtful email sent by another human being. In an era dominated by instant messages, social media DMs, and quick texts, the thoughtful, well-crafted email stands out as a powerful communication tool—a modern-day equivalent of the handwritten letter. They are not the tiny bursts of useless information that we are used to.

Emails are deliberate. They’re something you architect carefully, reflecting thoughtfully on the content, purpose, and tone. Unlike a quick text or a DM, a good email requires intention and time. When done right, emails have the unique power to unlock doors, forge unexpected connections, and create opportunities from nothing.

they’re genuinely powerful

I first understood the true power of an email after watching a YouTube video by Spaghetti Road (here), in which he successfully collected flags from every embassy in his country—simply by sending well-crafted emails. He wasn’t famous or influential; he was just a regular guy with an idea. Yet, through thoughtful communication, he achieved something that - to me - is quite extraordinary. It never even occured to me that you could just do that.

This inspired me a lot. If one person could gather flags from every country using nothing more than thoughtful emails, what else could emails achieve?

Motivated by this, my friends and I had (or rather, orchestrated) our own memorable email experience during an election. We were followers of a small, joke political party whose election posters were genuinely impressive—cleverly designed and incredibly humorous. On a whim, I decided to send an email directly to one of their candidates (the mighty Komlosaurus), offering our help to remove and collect posters after the election.

Writing that email was quite an experience. We carefully blended humor with sincerity, clearly conveying who we were—a group of enthusiastic young guys who genuinely had nothing else to do. They eagerly accepted our offer, and we not only spent a memorable day helping out (in the pouring rain, because when you’re young that doesn’t phase you at all) but also came away with some fantastic souvenirs. It showed me firsthand the impact a single email can have.

Emails are uniquely powerful because they allow us to show our humanity in a digital world increasingly dominated by superficial interactions. I remember receiving an email from the CEO of Twingate when I first signed up for their software. Rather than a flashy HTML template, it was a simple, plain-text message welcoming me, asking me to use the software for a few days and then provide honest feedback. I did so, because I felt genuinely connected and valued. Ever since then, I’ve been using Twingate to access my homelab from afar.

lessons and the road ahead

These experiences have taught me an invaluable lesson: at the other end of every email is another human being, no matter their status or position. The sincerity and authenticity you bring to your email are more often than not, reciprocated. Real emails cut through noise, creating meaningful and memorable interactions.

As for the future, I believe the significance of email will only grow. As our phones keep blowing up from short messages (or if you’re like me, you’ve silenced almost all of them), receiving a genuine, real email will surely make us curious. In an environment where authentic communication becomes increasingly rare, the thoughtful email is poised to become even more powerful.

So, my advice? Embrace emails. Write thoughtfully. Be yourself. You’ve got nothing to lose—and a whole lot to gain.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope this post has inspired you to reconsider what you think about emails. Perhaps you should just send me one: I’m genuinely curious what your experience is regarding this topic. See you soon!

Last modified on 2025-04-21