A Tale of Two Towns

Dear reader,

You are probably reading this because you get your information through the written word. Or you might happen to have clicked on the wrong link. Either way, I wonder if you have ever thought about  how you think? Or the way you take in information? You might be like me & prefer to read. Or you learn by listening.

I’d like to tell you a story about two neighbouring towns separated by a river. There is one town which was founded on a written document. A world of the written word. This is where I live. We see it as a world of order & structure. We build our community with our keyboards or pen & paper. Under one law: The Written Word Lasts Longer. There is another town founded on speech. A world that seems to me to be chaotic & messy. This community is built by living life and on the spoken word. Under one law: Remember It Was Said.

I am a citizen of the written word. I have often thought we have the right way of learning. But, it is not that simple. Whenever I’m by the river, I am often amazed at how easily the people from the neighbouring town remember the speeches, songs & actions of their heroes. They do this without having to read information from a page. It seems strange to me. I’ll admit, I’m more jealous than amazed. I, too, would love to be able to recall every word delivered by a speaker. Or to be able to remember the lyrics and dance moves of a song just by hearing and seeing it.

Our founding fathers warned us against the dangers of mixing with the other town folk. But, I have been meeting in secret with a person from the neighbouring town. We are learning about our different cultures. I plan to visit his town soon. I wish to experience life in his world. If our plan is successful, I’ll write back on what I’ve learned.

Until we read again,

Songz