The value of the written word

Posted: February 20, 2013 by K D Blakely in Karen’s Words

Only a few hundred years ago, information had to be passed by word of mouth. Most people could not read, even if they had access to books. And most did not. Books were rare and valuable. They had to be copied out by hand; an extremely tedious and time consuming process.

So I believe the printing press was one of the defining inventions that literally changed the world.

I would go so far as to suggest that it changed the world even more than the industrial revolution, or the light bulb, or electricity. I believe it was the abiity to share complex ideas through the written word that allowed us to get where we are today. (I know some would argue that is not necessarily such a good thing, but that’s a different subject for discussion.)

It is our ability to share knowledge that keeps fueling new finds in science and technology. (Remember, we’re not going to get into whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing here.) As a writer, computers and the internet are two of my favorite things. And as a sci fi/fantasy writer, new science and technology provide ever expanding scenarios for stories…

I’d take this one step further. I believe it is the books of sci fi/fantasy writers (and in the past 80 years, films based on a written script) that have driven some of our current technology. Writers like Jules Verne dreamed of nuclear submarines and rockets to the moon. People at the time may have enjoyed reading his books, but most believed, “That could never happen!” However, after the next few generations grew up with the ideas in those books, that thought became, “How could that be done?”

When I watched 2001:A Space Odyssy in the theaters when it came out in 1968, people were amazed by some of the ‘2001’ technology shown in the film. Remember, this was the year before the first landing on the moon. Some of it hasn’t come true (we don’t routinely take trips to other planets and space stations – yet), but some of the smaller ideas (that people thought of as highly unlikely) actually exist. Talking computers and webcams are a normal part of our life. There are companies that are now into the space rocket business. And we do have a space station.

Need more examples?

Flip phones always make me think of Star Trek communicators.

To give comics their due, there’s talk of creating a wrist phone (lovers of old comics will immediately think of Dick Tracy) in the near future.

And as I saw on television the other day, they are working on a flying car (it may not fly high, and it may not drive faster than 35 MPH, but we’re still talking a FLYING CAR) that should be ready for sale in the next few years. Writers have used flying cars in sci fi/fantasy novels for years!

I’ve heard people claim that sci fi/fantasy writers are just dreamers who’s crazy ideas add no practical value to the world. Of course, science tells us entertainment can be relaxing and help lower blood pressure. And teachers tell us reading expands vocabulary and the ability to think abstractly. I think those have practical value. But even more practical than that, I think the dreamers of today help produce the innovators of tomorrow.

What other ideas have writers dreamt of that will come to pass in the future because someone read about it (or watched it in a movie, or saw it in a comic)? An idea that will spark a desire in someone to make it a reality. Someone who will stop saying “That could never happen!” and start asking,”How could that be done?”

That is the value of the written word.

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, the time of the week when we niche down to a single topic. Today? The written word.

Natasha and Danny and Alex got together to dig into the recent NerdWallet IPO filing, and what it can tell us about how the written word — in its digital form — can still be worth quite a lot. Here’s an outline of the chat:

• NerdWallet shows the financial power of the written word, even if it isn’t the precise form of writing that we know and love.
• Automattic is a large, startup bet on the written word, amongst other things. Danny had notes for us on the scale of its business, thanks to a new TC-1 all about the publishing empire. Here we talked about the importance of proving value internally, before going external with word power.
• And from Kindle Vella to Substack to Memberful from Patreon, there are more and more models for getting paid to write these days. Hell, you can charge for your tweets now.

We were left with questions about if the return of text is inevitable, in an everyone-runs-to-video world. As Natasha notes, distribution is still a bottleneck and human attention is not entirely predisposed to sitting around reading things. But with Gen Z perhaps a little over screen time, perhaps there’s good news ahead for writers of all stripes.

As mentioned in a previous post, I thoroughly enjoy reading. Most of the material that I consume is YA fantasy and adventure but on rare occasions, I find things that I have written in the past and find myself rereading. A lot of things were from middle school or high school that I forgot that I made let alone wrote. Mentally I suppose I blocked it out since writing back then was just for school and to check off boxes. But recently I have been finding old school projects and it either takes me back to that moment or requires me to figure out what it was for originally.

I found a scrapbook that I was under the impression was unused but was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had multiple projects that I had used it for. A couple french projects in middle school and a poetry project from 9th grade. Looking over what I gathered or what I wrote made me think about why I wrote that or why I chose a particular piece. One of which was a Shakespeare sonnet that was declared as “My Favorite Poem” and for the life of me I do not remember why I chose it, it was probably because my mom recommended it and it was short to type up. When I read it for the first time in years, my experiences have developed to the point where the sonnet had a lot more meaning to me than it most likely did originally.

Something that I thought I would have done more of as a child was journal. I was convinced that I would write everything about my life down and would need so many new journals since I would fill them up. What ended up happening was I would write a page or two in a diary and then run out of things to say or I would find something active to do instead, pushing the writing to the side. Recently I started traveling via plane, which was a new endeavor for me. It was suggested by my mentor to keep a journal of what happens, in his head, he was thinking about the Greece trip he was about to lead for study abroad. Keeping a journal was one of the best decisions that I made on that trip overseas. I was able to document everything that we did from going to different historical sites like the Acropolis and Sparta to walking around Athens, where we got food, what I ate and conversations that we had.

This trip was only a year ago, not too far back, but after looking at my journal again, it reminded me of the small things that we did or saw. I can remember the big picture and important things that happened, but when years have passed, I might not remember as much. Having a journal like this with everything that I experience will take me right back to those moments. When I think about it, in the past I never held much stock for personal writing. But as I have grown as an individual, I know that I value memories and reading. The best way to combine the two is by writing down what is happening. Even if I didn’t have the best regard for writing, it is something that has grown on me. Writing letters that I don’t send, writing my thoughts down in order to organize them, writing to remember that the best gelato I had in Greece was in Nafplio and that I had a peaceful moment watching the sun rise over the Aegean Sea. Reading is what I love, but writing is how I’ll remember.

Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.

-attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

Speak only if it improves upon the silence.

-Gandhi

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

-1 John 3:18

Writing about silence is like writing about God: the words conceal more than they reveal.

-Carl McColman

He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.

-Lao Tzu

So my people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

-Ezekiel 33:31

I have read many such quotes over the last few years, and it often makes me wonder and doubt my vocation here of writing or “speaking” about the mystical experience, the heart of religion, and deep science and philosophy. Is it worth it? Does it actually do any good in the world? Or is it merely “drawing close to God with lips” but “keeping hearts far away from ‘Him’” (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13).

Such a realization is actually what Joseph Smith had in his First Vision as well, that most religious people (if not all) merely flap their lips and speak a lot about God, but don’t actually draw themselves or their hearts near and into the Divine Reality (JS-H 1:19). It is paying lip service, but doesn’t actually do what it says. It doesn’t actually bring people into the Presence of God, or into participatory action with God.

Even Jesus talked about this in criticizing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

-Matthew 23:2-4

Jesus seems to have been criticizing the lack of action, that the Pharisees said to do many great and wonderful things, but they did not do them themselves. This seems to be precisely what hypocrisy means, saying but not doing.

I have often said that what I write is not the thing, that any word that is spoken is not the reality of God. It can’t be. God transcends all those words, thoughts, ideas, concepts. They are merely symbols, pointers, references, metaphors, stories, but it is never, ever, ever, the Divine Reality in itself. That cannot be communicated from one person to another, no matter how many priests or gurus tell us it can. It is only known in truth within one’s own self, because it is one’s own Self, the true divine Self at-one with God.

And so do these words do any good? Is there any use in spiritual texts? In scriptures? Does our writing have any utility whatsoever? Is it operative? Is it useful or effective? Does it actually point to the Way? Can the written word actually serve the purpose of “preaching the gospel”? Can we truly love through words? Are word themselves a form of action in the world?

I think if we asked great authors, contemplatives, and poets such as Mary Oliver, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tolkien, Melville, Billy Collins, Thomas Merton, and a host more, they would likely say unequivocally, “Yes!” The written word is itself a genuine mode of action, a reflection of truth, a means to express love in the world.

I think the trap that we may fall into, the risk we run with words, is in thinking that they are It, that the ultimate Truth is to be found in them, that they are an end in themselves, and if they fail to serve to bring us into greater union, connection, compassion, and service in the world. When the word becomes the thing, then we can become trapped in it, imprisoned by the words rather than liberated by them.

I have recently considered whether I should give up this writing, this website, this activity, surrender it, and go back to school and get a degree in something like Data Science, Big Data, Computer Science and Statistics, and do work on machine learning, data processing, and artificial intelligence, something which can actually, you know, make some money, something that has some “real practical value.” Would that be a better way of giving my gifts to the world? Would that hold more value and worth to the modern world? Indeed, it may be much more valuable to the world than what I’m doing now, and I could be paid the big bucks for doing it, but I’m not sure it would be the best gift I can give. My kingdom is not of this world.

I have been given a gift, graced with something, which seems to be exceedingly rare in the world today, a pearl of great price, which I want to share with you as much as I am able, and help you find it too. I feel I would be remiss and ungrateful if I did not, even profoundly irresponsible and negligent. But the temptation of material prosperity and “success” beckons still; we could buy anything in this world for money. Is this not ego?

I’ve recently seen this meme online a lot. It has been attributed to the Dalai Lama, David W. Orr, Kathleen Westberg, and perhaps others. It seems the actual source may be Orr in the book he co-edited Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World. In Orr’s quote he also says,

It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.

-David W. Orr

Which also reminds me of this quote from modern mystic and theologian Howard Thurman, which I’ve been drawn to a lot recently:

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

-Howard Thurman

Now this may sound quite selfish. Don’t do what the world needs? Do what makes you come alive instead? How narcissistic is that?! But as Thurman points out, what the world needs may be precisely people who have come alive, people who have awakened to deep meaning, to love, to compassion, to their art, to their gifts, to their unique contributions, to their talents, to their deep empathy, to their healing ability to restore what has been broken, the peacemakers, the reconcilers, the lovers, those who are truly ALIVE. They are not people who merely see an opportunity to make a lot of money and be “successful” in business, in the consumerist materialist system, in the world’s eyes. This may actually be a death sentence, because, of course, the way we spend our days is the way we spend our lives, as mystic-writer Annie Dillard has pointed out:

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.

-Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

If we do not do what makes us uniquely come alive, then we may not be giving of our best gifts to the world around us, and we may not actually be living Life! We may instead be living a willed, faked, mock-up of life, a kind of illusory life, a mirage, water on the horizon that can never quench our thirst. Only a life truly lived is worth living. Indeed, I’ve said before, the whole purpose of life is to live it, fully, passionately, authentically, abundantly (John 10:10). That is where we find the living waters which quench our thirst forever! (John 4:14). And the meaning of life may be that which we give it. We give it that meaning, through a life lived authentically, not how others wish us to live, but how our life speaks to us.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

-Mary Oliver

Are such words empty? Do they mean nothing? Or are they a call, a beckoning from the fog before us, a hope drawing us forward, giving us a light to steer us along the way, thoughts to soak into our bones and transform us at the deepest level?

I hope they are this. I hope my writing is this. I pray that what I write is useful, that it may serve as a guide, a compass, a map, a possibility, a hope, a suggestion of the way we may go through life. I give it freely as a gift to the world, an offering if it may be helpful in restoring peace, in growing love, in bringing compassion, in awakening hearts, in telling a new and better story of our human nature, and the nature of reality, which is both old and new. It is not Life. Nothing is that, except Life. But it is something we do in Life, as part of that One, to point to it, to point to ourselves, and our deepest Self, and what it is that is going on here.

I will continue to write, to give of this gift, as long as God would have me do so, as long as God gives me the gift of breath and sustenance, to speak and to attempt to express the inexpressible which I have gracefully experienced. Because although it is an impossible task which we will forever fail at, we have to do it. It must be done, and many are doing it, if for nothing else than to point to Love, to point to the Way, to point to Goodness, to Truth, to Beauty, to Silence. And maybe, just maybe, there is a bit of goodness, truth, and beauty in the words themselves.

And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” And he said, “Go and say to this people:

‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend;
keep looking, but do not understand.’
Make the mind of this people dull,
    and stop their ears,
    and shut their eyes,
so that they may not look with their eyes,
    and listen with their ears,
and comprehend with their minds,
    and turn and be healed.”
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
    without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
    and the land is utterly desolate;
until the Lord sends everyone far away,
    and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.
Even if a tenth part remain in it,
    it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak
    whose stump remains standing
    when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.

-Isaiah 6:5-13