This isn’t going to be a whole thing about whether Edward Snowden is right or wrong or whether the NSA is spying or valiantly fighting terrorists on our behalf.

The story simply made me consider that my life really isn’t that interesting. And neither is yours.

It doesn’t matter who you are. I bet if you take a look at how your various inboxes break down, the vast majority of your communication is not worth reading. (You know what? That’s an editorial statement. Some people might consider a debate on whether there’s enough milk at the house quite interesting. Cheerfully withdrawn!)

I just reviewed the two email addresses I use most frequently. The majority of messages I’ve sent or received are mundane, either work-related (forms to fill out, scheduling issues) or personal (correspondence about fantasy baseball or gambling on the weekend box office).

The percentage of mundane emails would increase further if I included the six addresses I signed up for just to get free two-day shipping from amazon. In a separate case, I’m considering an exchange with a source “important” even though the discussion ended on the topic of egg salad (I’m against it).

Still, it can be quite jarring to think someone is snooping. There is, however, one way to protect your email and text messages:

Write letters

Letter-writing has several advantages. First, a letter requires more thought than a text message and can spur communication on a deeper level. Second, the government can’t track it. I mean, even the postal service can’t track the mail. Are ya with me, America!?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it’s perfectly legal to write a letter while you’re driving.

Imagine sending this text message to a beloved acquaintance:

Now, consider how wonderful it would feel to receive the following carefully written letter in your mailbox:

The scheduling issues I mentioned a moment ago could easily be addressed as well:

Even commenting on a youtube video becomes a more personal experience:

I encourage you to try this method. It’s not fool-proof, but you can force the agents of government intrusion to work harder. You’ll just need to be more cognizant of windowless vans parked on your street.