Do you ever wonder what was going through John Hancock's mind when he signed his name bigger than everyone else's? Did he think it would be preserved through all time? Because if that's his goal, not only does he have the most recognizable signature on the Declaration of Independence, he has an idiomatic expression to accompany it as well. As for me, I don’t have a signature. It’s the latest thing in cyberspace to measure the relative fullness of a person’s life. Unless your email is closed affiliating you with some organization, company, or projecting the end of your matriculation through professional school, then you’re a nobody. I get emails from a lot of people denoting their title, status, or some wise quote that sums up their very being. Not that I mind reading that you’re a JD candidate in the class of 2013, or something that Confucious said (before he ever knew there’d be an internet and that people would sign the end of an email using his wise words), but am I to measure my success by the fact that I have nothing wise to pass on or some important position to report? Ironically I must wonder what the significance of a signature is. Ironically because “significance” and “signature” both come from the same root word “sign,” meaning “an indication (n.) or to put one’s signature to (v.).” So I am left to wonder (being the wordsmith that I am at times) whether not having an email signature is a bad sign. I’ve signed lots of documents with my name only and signed off an email with my name only. Wouldn’t my resume speak for itself? Tell all the necessary things one must know? Isn’t it a little pretentious to let everyone know that you’re a law student unless your email was being addressed to a law firm in hopes of a job or summer associate position? To the person who has a penchant for famous quotes: is it appropriate to end your email with “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” when you’re just dropping a line to see how I’m doing? What are you implying?
Well I have begun to fear. I’ve begun to fear what with being left behind by social media and still preferring to read actual books instead of files on a Kindle and valuing face to face rather than mobile banking that not having an email signature will make me look too passe. What would I even sign it with? Currently I’m in transition after having withdrawn from law school to come home and take care of my mother after her near fatal car accident. I think my signature would read something like:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Kelle Neal
Former JD Candidate, 2013
Full-time caretaker and selfless daughter
Unemployed
