What is writing? As writing has appeared throughout history, the cultures and substance have always differed, but the context is consistent. A successful cultivation of crops, domestication of animals, as well as permanent structures, are all longstanding clues for historians and anthropologists to see if a group of people have moved past hunting and gathering to become a civilization. The most important though, is a clear development and respect for the arts. 

Writing especially has been a way to share ideas and discoveries for generations. These insights to the past allow us to learn from others mistakes, to discover parts of humanity that would otherwise be forgotten, and to immortalize those who chose to open themselves up and allow us to dissect their consciousness through their own words. Writing truly is a hallmark of civilization, but we should look deeper into what it is that makes writing so vital to the development of peoples. I think that communication, through writing or otherwise, is really what predicts the rise of civilization, and the continuing of culture. In American Sign Language, there is no written form, but a deep culture and rich historical background has still made itself a home within the d/Deaf and Hard-of-hearing people who choose to be a part of Deaf culture. Even without writing, communication and stories flourish within the community, spreading across other subcultures and down through generations. This continuation of history and personal narratives reminds me of the hugely popular stories shared by spoken word in ancient Greece, the myths and fantasies that stood for the people of Greece and allows us now, to know what they believed in. 

Now, students use writing for everything from essays to texting. Writing notes, talking to our friends, or even baring ourselves to the world through blogs are all examples of how writing has penetrated every part of our lives. It will serve future generations as a type of diary, each person cleanly laid out in spoken word, first person accounts and insights into the world’s cultures and conflicts. The writing will serve as a textbook that we have never had before in education, showing the fluency in cross-cultural interactions, and even the smallest nuances in language and vocabulary shifting from formal to relaxed as two friends leave class and start engaging with each other. Our novels, embedded into lines of code, and shared on the internet, will allow people to view the immense and infinite imagination and horrors that the human mind is capable of, serving as a reminder of the depth of thought and complexity each person has within themselves. We write to share, to inform, and to delve deeper into our own understanding of ourselves, each shifting tone, vocabulary, and structure, to garner a deeper level of understanding from our audience. Writing is communication, discovered through the human condition, and shared through every avenue of our personal experiences. 

(Thanks to Corben, Pat, and Chloe, for the discussion and inspiration )