Archaic forms of entertainment

Reading fiction, especially 'novels' was once considered something of a scandalous preoccupation but now they are discovering that those who ingest fiction and digest it properly are perhaps more empathetic and understanding of other people, cultures, and situations than those who are unacquainted with the ancient fanaticism of reading.  Whether it is that broad minds read or that reading broadens minds is yet to be determined, but it is a rather interesting proposition, but what will come of this discovery if mankind forgets how to read?  In the ever quickening pace of modern society, the tedious work known as the novel may soon give place to more 'efficient' means of communication such as the tweet or the text.  But life is not lived on Facebook or rather it should not be, neither can a good story be told in 144 characters or less.  You can no more abbreviate a book than you can the soul, but that is just what we are trying to do and then wonder why life holds no meaning, purpose, interest, or joy.

Such virtues take patience, hope, and hard work to achieve just as reading a good book takes time and effort if it is to yield up its treasures.  Columbus dared to sail off the edge of the world and changed the course of history.  Men would not have electric light if persistence had not once been a virtue.  Alas, we have become a culture of 'seen that got the T-shirt, now what?'  We do not seek out the unknown frontiers, delve into the unsearched depths, 'dream the impossible dream.'  We can hardly manage to read the dreaded archaic tome in time for the English exam, let alone comprehending what it means.  No wonder the world seems to be hastening towards disaster and we all sit in the back happily yelling, "faster!"

But there are flickers of hope, the literary flame has not yet died out among the children of men.  Every so often a cumbersome and engrossing book comes out that draws the harried and disinterested masses into its wordy embrace.  We remember life exists outside the technosphere and for a few hours at least, some great, unsatisfied hunger within us is momentarily sated.  We are drawn into another world, another life, another crisis, a perspective outside our own.  And for a moment we are connected with the very essence of what it is to be human and it has nothing to do with how many 'likes' we have or the 'friends' we have never met.  For one wondrous moment, our soul is unflinchingly bared to the soul of the writer and we find ourselves understood and understanding as never had we dreamed it possible.  This is the power of literature, the power of the written word, the power to change a soul and the world.  And you thought all those summer reading programs at the local library were rather ridiculous!  Save the world, read a book!