The wisdom of the universe can be found in many places—in Nature, in the body, in prayer—and I go to those places regularly. But there is something special about books and the written word. Whether one sees writing as a gift from God or a human invention, the capability to convert one's thoughts into a form that can be preserved and transmitted across time and space is magical, mystical, transcendant. I can think of few human technologies that can match writing for it's impact, scope, and usefulness.
With books we are no longer limited to hearing only our own tribe's traditions spoken around the ceremonial fire. Now we can speak our experiences to anyone, anywhere, now and into the future. The internet has extended this power, but it is, by nature, ephemeral. We can (if we are lucky) hold a 500-year old book, or even a 1000-year old scroll, but where will this website be in 50 years, or even 5 years? Books, even great books, are not forever—they don't have the multi-millenial longevity of a bas relief or cuneiform tablet—but they outlive us. They are our new tribal elders, and elders deserve our respect.
