It’s amazing how forms of written communication have evolved over time. There’s no question that while today visual communication (like video) is a powerful medium, the written word remains one of the most effective ways of sharing ideas that we have. It’s easy to forget that literacy, which is the ability to read and write, was once a rare skill, possessed only by the social elite (and members of the church). The fact that today the majority of society has the ability to read and write would have been unthinkable in years past, and it’s definitely something to celebrate.

Early Forms of Printing

From the earliest times of recorded history, people have kept discovering new ways of sharing the written word. Early civilizations carved words onto clay tablets and then later used quills to print words on papyrus. In those earlier times before printing was easily available, scriveners were hired to hand copy books, letter by letter and word by word. Yes, it’s amazing how far our forms of written communication have come.

Now in the modern era, printing books and magazines like Vogue, Time, or even dental journals like the journal of implantology, is an easy process. Readers today can choose to read from printed materials like books and newspapers, or go online to read information on websites. Today, the choices available for getting solid information and entertainment are quite incredible, especially when we think back to the limitations the earlier generations had to endure.

Today, with the wealth of information available and the speed in which we can take in that information, it’s important not to take all these opportunities for granted. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and today we all have every opportunity to seek out and find more knowledge on just about any topic that exists. So start reading and writing and claim your power today!