A World Without Books

An Irish novelist Colm Toibin once recounted a story about observing a Cantonese man sitting on a Kowloon footpath reading a book. The man's face was stern with concentration, and his finger tracing the line being read. At times the man's expression would be disturbed in frustration at his progress.Finally, the reader looked up at the sky,while his face was beaming.It doesn't matter whether it was because of a sudden joy with the act of reading, or revelation from what was written, or delight at how the story resolved.The point is at he was in possession of something deliciously private---a connection between him and the writer,between the real world and the world described upon the pages.

There is a frequently asked question;What should the world be like without books? The very question is absurd and depressing.It is always said that the latest technology signals the demise of the book. Decades ago,it was thought that the radio would replace books.This fear has persisted throughout with the inventions of television and internet.But the scenes like that of Cantonese man reading the book negate the notion that modern advances pose a threat to reading. Books are themselves a form of technology that is spread over the pages and makes us delve into the complexities of life.

Literature is the story of humans.I is the record of who we are, where we come from and where we are going.Books make us travel at large.During our journey, we are connected with humanity.We identify ourselves with the characters we meet and learn whether we love, loathe,fear or flatter.They help us comprehend our faults and aspirations.They tell us what we could become if we are not careful.Reading provides us with the deepest connection to the morals that make us humans,and a part of a larger society.

Books are a source of comfort for us.They are a safe shelter. Throughout human history man has found peace in the written works.Books are bridges --- through their pages we make our contact with society.Those who read more are better prepared to face the world than those who don't read.

Though reading a book connects us with humanity, it is also the last truly private act inn the world that has become too public. As given over to fast food. Blogs text messages and e-books,bring relevance and instant gratification, much as the newspapers and magazines do. But however important such forms are, they endure only as long as the stuff they are printed on. The comforts of books defy time, and break the borders.

It is important that we work to give every person the opportunity to enjoy books as shelters,sustenance, and roads forward.To imagine a world without books is to imagine a world without thought, feeling,compassion,history or voice.

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