Since the beginning of civilization, books have been the compass that guides humankind to either heaven or hell and, sometimes, to paradise. Regretfully, people nowadays read little and mostly don’t even understand what they read.

Despite all the severe warnings against it, people favour screens rather than books. Reading a book demands concentration, thinking, and imagination, which most people avoid. So they favour screens because screens deliver the whole thing instantly, thus diminishing the efforts required to read a book. Several factors may influence this sad trend: new technologies, time, space, volume, cost, life demands, etc.

On the other hand, writing is more than combining words and forming sentences around an idea, which many aspiring writers think it is and thus hope it will make them bestsellers. Some writers don’t even grasp the basics of storytelling. Furthermore, the process an author must follow to publish their book is arduous and discouraging. Usually, the author must sail alone through unknown seas where monsters abound. Besides, translating the book is difficult and expensive if the author writes in a foreign language. I may add that public libraries are a luxury in many countries, and few people benefit from them if they exist. Sometimes, authors find that their books are banned for reasons only known to the censor. Price is another issue. High prices discourage readers on a budget. Besides these issues, some people find every excuse not to read a book and opt for a cell phone, tablet, or laptop. These people are thankful that screens have been created so they can have instantaneous canned virtual learning without ever reading a book.

In conclusion, you, who can hold a book in your hands, read and understand it, have you thought about how privileged you are?