Books’ Destiny

Edsel L. Natividad

Books come in different sizes, colors, and styles of covering. We can see them standing on shelves and cabinets. Some are thick while some are thin. But whatever their differences are, they play one role. They are all knowledge-providers. They are made of simple paper, sandwiched between two glossy photo papers. They may look very simple that one can just ignore and let them get rusted on the shelves but these simple materials can embark us on a journey to the sea of knowledge.

Humans are born innocent. There is nothing that occupies our minds during our exit from our mother’s womb. We knew nothing about the world that we live in. Book’s primary role is to teach us about almost everything that a human being should learn. Everything is written there and all we have to do is read them. They are just waiting for us to open the cover, turn the pages and read every word.

Knowing how to read is one important factor to learn in order for us to absorb what the book says. Of course we also have to comprehend the contents and visualize it in our minds. Thus, books should be the best friends of children. We learned the alphabet, the vowels and the consonant from them. It was also from books that we learned how to read and write— from the most basic step up to the most creative styles. From there on, the life long journey to reach the pinnacle of our dreams began.

Books are the basic tools of education. They are important that the government provide educational books in all public schools. These tools open our minds into the world of learning. Without them the development of the learning process will be very gradual.

Reading gives us privilege to use our imagination. Many teachers prefer to choose books as a good source of information and at the same time it enhances our mental abilities. By reading we can create our own illustration in our minds of what do we understand about the story. Unlike in watching television, we just sit, see what’s on the screen, and listen. Since everything is given, we became passive. We are confined in the limited illustration on what is shown to us.

In the old days, books were very important that they were the main source of information. There was no radio, television or the internet. But with the advent of these three technologies, it seems like books are being forgotten. The new technology has invaded the world of books. Recently, one of the most famous encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, went digital instead of producing the physical books. The management admitted that the main reason is the internet. More and more people rely on the internet instead of researching through books.

I see libraries nowadays, full of rusted books, newspapers, magazines and the like but empty of students while computer shops are crowded with learners busy surfing the internet and enjoying playing games. Books are left alone, untouched and unopened.

In these times, students don’t bother to pay 20 pesos per hour in exchange of having the latest trend in technology and the fastest way to information, neglecting our libraries which gives us access to use books for free. It makes me think now, have they forgotten how they learned to read and write? Where did they get the fundamental knowledge? Books are now forsaken. I’m just curios, few years from now, new technologies will be discovered. Will books still be the one to embark us on a journey to the sea of knowledge?