I was intrigued by this observation from author Walter Stephens:
Writing evolved to perform tasks that were difficult or impossible to accomplish without it; at some level, it is now essential for anything that human societies do, except in certain increasingly threatened cultures of hunter-gatherers. Without writing, modern civilization has amnesia; complex tasks need stable, reliable, long-term memory.
Think about the octopus. It’s a remarkably intelligent creature, but its short life span precludes it from creating an enduring civilization. Imagine a human child that had to discover for itself how to make fire, the wheel, or language. As Stephens puts it, “Writing enabled memory to outlast the human voice and transcend the individual person.” Tradition, our inheritance from countless forbears, is the infrastructure that makes us fully human. Without it, we’d be in the same boat as the octopus. Except we wouldn’t have boats.
As Stephens reminds us in his thought-provoking article, the written word is the most powerful tool — or weapon — we have yet created. No wonder we view language as a “wondrous, mystic art.”
Wondrous indeed. And surely an art. Early on, I was fascinated by stories, and still love reading and writing. Words enable us to connect with the past, the present, and the future, and allow the individual to pass on the things that enchant and delight us. I love describing the joys and terrors of life, from the roar of a storm on Onslow Bay, the smell of a wood campfire at a mountain camp, or the taste of a steamed oyster. And while passing our thoughts and feelings to others is an essential life skill, the art of writing is a life-long pursuit. As Hemingway once put it, “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
It’s a journey that will never end.
M.C. Tuggle, Writer 
Mike,
I always enjoy your blog postings. Great, relevant, interesting content.
Jim Roberts
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I appreciate that, Jim!
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HI Mike, I’ve never thought about this before but it is very true. A great post.
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Thank you, Roberta. No man is an island.
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Excellent and I like the Hemingway quote.
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Thank you Jack!
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Now how did you know that I have a lovely glass octopus sitting on my PC table? As I write, research, flit here and there on the Internet, and make sure my entertainment keeps going on the laptop beside me I have often pictured myself as a very creative and innovative octopus productively going through its day.
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RasmaSandra,
An octopus makes an inspirational figure.
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Wow! Wondrous, mystic art indeed
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Jennie,
Absolutely!
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🙂
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Right. Words indeed have a powerful impact on our lives, enabling us to communicate and connect with people in ways that are both meaningful and enriching.
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Definitely understand your post. I love to write! It is an outlet that keeps my mind occupied and gives me places and people to explore. Life would be lonesome without my writing.
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So well put. It’s a beautiful venue to express yourself. BRAVO!
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I find Stephens’s comment fascinating in light of Alfred Korzybski’s concept of humans as time-binders. Whereas plants are chemical-binders and animals are space-binders, humans bind time via language, according to Korzybski. Before the written word, there were oral-traditions (think Homeric epics) to carry on culture and knowledge. The written word made that process more efficient, albeit at the expense of our ability to memorize. Socrates was skeptical of writing for that reason. I’m just thinking out loud in light of your post. Thanks for the provocation.
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