I REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN BOOKS WERE TREATED IN A VERY REVERENT WAY. I STILL HAVE A MEMORY OF THE SMELL OF NEW BOOKS. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE SIDE NOTES OR UNDERLINE ANYTHING IN A BOOK. BOOKS WERE PASSED ON TO EITHER OUR SIBLINGS OR OTHER PEOPLE AND WE WERE TAUGHT THAT BOOKS ARE A CONCENTRATED SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE. MY PARENTS AND TEACHERS IMPRINTED THIS ON ME.
IF WE LOOK THROUGH HISTORY WHEN A COUNTRY HAD TURBULENT TIMES AND THE PEOPLE AND COULD NOT REACH AGREEMENT, THE FIRST THING THEY WOULD DO WAS TO BURN THE BOOKS. THEY KNEW THAT BURNING BOOKS COULD STOP THE TRANSMITTING OF IDEAS THAT COULD FUEL A REVOLUTION. OTHER TIMES ACCIDENTAL FIRES WOULD BURN TREASURED LIBRARIES AND BOOKS AND PEOPLE WOULD CRY AT THE LOSS.
THE SPANIARDS BURNED CODICES. IN CHINA THEY BURNED MANUSCRIPTS RESULTING IN SUCH A LOSS FOR HUMANITY. WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT THE BOOKS SAID.
IN THE 1400’S BOOKS WERE HANDMADE AND WERE HANDWRITTEN BEFORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRINTING. IS THIS ONE OF THE REASONS BOOKS DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH A LOT OF REVERENCE?
NOW BOOKS ARE OUTDATED. WE HAVE IPADS, COMPUTERS OR EVEN OUR IPHONES WHERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD BOOKS. YOU CAN CALL ME OLD FASHIONED BUT I IMMENSELY ENJOY SITTING IN FRONT OF MY FIREPLACE WITH A GOOD BOOK. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A BAD THING. WHAT IS BAD IS THE ABUSE OF IT. I LOVE BEING ABLE TO GOOGLE ANY QUESTION. EVEN IF IT IS THE MOST ABSURD QUESTION, GOOGLE CAN GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION.
WE CAN NOW RESPOND TO WHAT IS WRITTEN WITH ONLINE WORDS. WE CAN PUBLISH WORDS THAT DAMAGE THE REPUTATION OF A STORE OR PERSON BY MAKING NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON A PUBLIC PAGE IN SOCIAL MEDIA. I AM SPEAKING FOR MYSELF IN ADDITION TO OTHERS IN THE RETAIL BUSINESS. WHAT YOU SEE AND EXPERIENCE ON THE SALES FLOOR IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT IS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES. WE ARE HUMANS. WE CAN BE DISTRACTED BY SOME DRAMA THAT IS HAPPENING IN THE BACK OF THE STORE OR WE CAN BE SAD OR VERY HAPPY ABOUT AN OCCASION THAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR LIFE. NEGATIVE WRITTEN WORDS CAN HURT. THANKFULLY IT HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ME AND FORTUNATELY, WE GET VALUABLE FEEDBACK ONLINE.
HAVE YOU HAD THE JOY OF HAVING YOUR CHILD OR GRANDCHILD SITTING IN YOUR LAP AND READING TO HIM OR HER? THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE COMPARED TO HANDING THEM AN IPAD FOR THEM TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES. I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE NEW MOMS TO READ TO THEIR KIDS AND TEACH THEM TO RESPECT AND LOVE BOOKS.
FOR SOME REASON PERHAPS THROUGH OSMOSIS, KIDS LEARN TO NAVIGATE THE MOST COMPLICATED LAPTOPS. PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR KIDS NOT GAINING COMPUTER SKILLS.
I HAVE READ BOOKS THAT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO UNDERLINE PHRASES OR WORDS THAT SPEAK TO ME BUT I SIMPLY CANNOT DO IT. IT IS LIKE I REACH FOR THE MARKER PROMISING THAT I AM OVERCOMING THE VOICES OF MY TEACHERS TELLING ME NOT TO SCRIBE IN MY BOOK. I JUST CANNOT. BESIDES, IF SOMEONE ELSE SEES WHAT I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED, I ALMOST FEEL THEY WOULD BE INVADING MY MIND. I ENVISION THEM THINKING, “WHY WOULD SHE UNDERLINE THAT PARTICULAR LINE?”
I DO NOT KNOW WHY THE IDEA OF SOMEONE ELSE READING WHAT I UNDERLINED UPSETS ME SO MUCH. I THINK THIS WILL BE A GOOD QUESTION FOR MY THERAPIST.
PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS SEND IT TO MY PERSONAL EMAIL: GUADALUPEJ4K@GMAIL.COM