What is a nation if not its history, present, and future? The decline of literature will cause the collapse of a nation because literature is so much more than just words in books.
Our history begins with writing. Humans have existed for approximately 300 000 years, yet we only know a lot about the last 5000, why? Because it was written. We have lost an unimaginable part of our history, which is now just something we are left to wonder about, because it was not written. Literature holds history, holds the answers, stories, the how, why, and what. Literature is where history is left, the present is made, and the future is sought. Reading is intelligence and strength.
Writers don't just write, they speak. They tell stories, and not just stories but the lives of them and others. They might tell you what is best to be done, and they will teach you words you haven't learned. They give you a chance to live in a different world. They say the hard truths, the ones that no one else would have the courage to say. The stories they write, they touch your heart, open your eyes, and like a doctor, either put the pieces inside you in order, or destroy you and force you to put the pieces back yourself, so to speak.
History books teach us the great accomplishments and the most devastating events of the past. They write down the horror, because the next generation must not forget it. The next generation must not repeat the same mistakes; they should learn to be better, do better.
But what if the next generation doesn't read? How will they ever know that starting a war is never the answer? How will they know what mistakes shouldn't be repeated and why? Our generation and the next must read to understand why the world today is, the way it is, and most importantly learn how to do better for the future.
We need to salvage literature so that literature can salvage us; the decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation.
- Essay written by Samantiana V. 2026
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