In case you haven’t heard by now, Macy’s Department Store is closing 68 branches across the country, causing roughly 3,000 people to lose their jobs.

The reason behind this is that online sales kicked their butts. People are doing all their shopping on the Internet, versus dealing with crowds in stores. As someone who has made seven orders in the past six months from Amazon, I understand why people find it easier to resort to their computers for what they need.

But bookstores must never close.

If a store like Macy’s is closing chains, the future of other retail stores is in jeopardy, including bookstores. Borders closed down roughly six years ago, so that’s one done.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been inside a physical bookstore in a while. There is one used bookstore in Taunton where I went often growing up, but I haven’t been inside there for years. The closest Barnes & Noble is at least an hour or so drive away. I always go straight for the book section whenever I’m in Target. Still, most of my book purchases come from Amazon or a bookstore’s website, like Books a Million or Barnes & Noble.

For bookworms, there is nothing like going into a bookstore shopping or simply browsing the aisles. It’s a comforting thing for us (while the rest of you mortals just find it boring). Of course, our bank accounts won’t be too pleased with us later.

Most importantly, books are meant to educate and increase imagination. Reading books makes you think. You get inside a character’s head, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and learning from their mistakes along with them.

While you read a book, you are receiving a message from the author. Books were the tools writers used to express to their fellow citizens what was wrong within their societies.

Why do you think so many books have been banned over the years? Because the powers that be, or parents in most cases, did not like what the writer had to say. An author is not going to put his or her book out in the world unless they have something they feel needs to be addressed. And you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. That’s the whole point of free speech.

In a world filled with computer screens and Emoji, we need to hang on to books. Our society is lacking the ability to think and not only to see through someone else’s eyes, but also accept the other person’s opinion, even if you don’t agree with it. Every time I walk into the checkout line in a grocery store, I see racks carrying trashy celebrity magazine with yet another Jennifer Aniston pregnancy rumor. Nothing against her, but the public would be much better off if People magazines were replaced by paperback novels on those racks.