In this modern age of television and YouTube, nobody seems to find the time to write anymore. To me, this is a tragedy, and it is causing the average person to become distant from what our ancestors recognized as an extraordinarily important craft. Writing is what immortalizes us. Nothing stands the test of time unless it is written down. Without writing, it seems, the world comes undone. Writing has a profound impact on both individuals and society as a whole.
It has always been writers that have kept society in check. Revolutions do not occur without writers. Just look at our own founding fathers. Many of them wrote extensively themselves, and in doing so, wrote the Declaration of Independence and built the framework for the United States. This is just one example in a rich history of writing that can be found in almost every culture of the world.
It is the writers that keep tyrannical governments in check. Through the written word, ideas solidify and become available to the rest of the world. This is precisely why tyrants suppress writers and censor what their people read. Ideas are powerful things, but they can only be circulated and actualized when they are written down. So if you want to change the world and make it a better place for everyone, write.
The power of writing, however, is not reserved for society alone. Writing is also a transformative exercise that aids an individual in achieving their full potential. It is important to write down what you are thinking, no matter what it may be. Any time a friend has come to me with some sort of serious problem and has sought an answer, I have always told them to write out whatever they were thinking. I honestly believe this has helped all of them.
Writing forces you to be honest with yourself. You cannot dodge the hard questions if you come face to face with them in your writing. But that is not the only helpful part. Writing gives you power over your thoughts. You may get them out of your mind and set them aside until another time. When I was younger, I often found myself unable to sleep because I thought too much. I found the best solution was to keep a pen and paper near my bed and write out any thoughts I was trying to work through so that I could address them in the morning.
I encourage anyone that reads this to try writing. The easiest way is to keep a daily journal. Write down anything, but if you are not sure what to write, just write out everything you can think of that happened to you in the day. If you can maintain this habit, you will find yourself thinking clearly and worrying less. Every one of us has something valuable to say to ourselves and to everyone else, and the best way to do this is to write it down.
