With the fade of the modernist paradigm, the move away from positivism and positive liberty questioned the existence of the ideal form. Despite this extremely pivotal change, the paradigm of Cartesian Dualism went unquestioned throughout the modernist and post-modern periods. In contemporary society, this rejection of the ideal form is amplified immeasurably by new technologies. Why should our methods of communication and the recording of history be so far removed from the content they bear? Is that content (and thereby its place in history) not devalued by choosing a medium so far removed from its original form? If we cannot measure progress towards an ideal form (an ideal gesture, an ideal use of the physical) how do we occupy ourselves, and how do we record our history?

We each carry with us a memory - a history - of our relationships with those around us - those we care about, depend on, and appreciate. This appreciation exists solely in the realm of the Cogito (speaking in Cartesian terms) until somehow expressed in the physical realm. When expressed physically, this can offer both the appreciator and the appreciated the ability to alter the Cogito. The lack of the ideal in the physical realm inhibits the discovery of usefulness, happiness, belonging, and power through solely physical means. But it is the gesture, the physical manifestation of these things, which marries the Cogito and the physical being in a union of the observed and the desired. The gesture allows us a temporary completeness, a temporary validation of the physical self - a moment of complete understanding of the total art of everyday life. At that moment we understand the place of the physical in the creation of culture - to be embraced by the Cogito.

Sending a greeting card - taking the steps to see your gesture through a number of channels (a number of physical hands), always with the goal of reaching the one you appreciate, is an exemplary method of synthesizing the Cogito and the physical. Not only does one involve the object of their appreciation with an object symbolizing (if not containing) that very appreciation, but also involves the physical care of others, who in turn are inevitably affected by their part in the transmission of positive energy. In my experience, trying to find a conduit for my own appreciation, I have come across a few companies which truly embody the spirit of re-embracing the physical for the good of the unified being. These companies are Best Holiday Cards (www.bestholidaycards.com), Best Wedding Invitations (www.best-wedding-invitations.com), Legacy Greetings (www.legacygreetings.com), and the American Cancer Society Holiday Card Program (www.cancer.org/holidaycollection).