In a time long, long ago, even before the dawn of automation, books were widely read. And when humanity finally emerged from those dark ages of ignorance and loneliness, and connected with each other worldwide via digital screens, there was a relatively brief period when books fell out of favor.
Of course, that made sense, because our new screens brought us many other sources of information and entertainment. And it was all still new, so we hadn’t learned to dose yet. We temporarily lost the ability to focus on anything for more than thirty seconds, and we were afraid that if we did something for ourselves, like reading a book, we would miss things and therefore no longer belong to the group. To the group? I hear you think. Yes, really! Because although we finally had the opportunity to connect with all people worldwide, most people found that frightening and wanted to belong to a group of like-minded people more than ever before.
Well, history teaches us the dire consequences of that behavior.
Screens quickly became indispensable. I can hear you laughing now, but really, there was a time when most people scanned their screens day and night and you could hear the beeps of phones coming from pockets or hands all around you. There were also many unnecessary accidents because people were constantly staring at or talking to their screens while walking on the street or driving a vehicle.
Many people even permanently carried their phone in their hand or on a so-called selfie stick, which caused many awkward situations and was also a costly affair, because phones were still expensive to replace back then. They were not yet made to last and it was the intention of sly manufacturers that they broke as soon as you dropped them. Fortunately, today the quality of products is paramount and manufacturers are no longer allowed to make unlimited profits.
What also hadn’t yet dawned on most people was that you shouldn’t believe everything you see and read on your screens. It may sound strange to you now, but many people blindly accepted the information and opinions they consumed through their screens, without worrying about the reliability of the sources. Studies have shown that this caused the average human IQ to drop significantly for the first time in history.
At that time, mankind was also flooded by waves of burnouts, depressions and anxiety disorders. Because besides wanting to meet impossible ideals, following artificial standards, people were ruled by the FOMO (fear of missing out).
Fortunately, after a few decades we discovered the JOMO (joy of missing out) and also rediscovered our old love for reading books!
We now know that reading books on a screen is not always ideal.
For example, the screens of our phones are actually only suitable for reading short pieces of text. And our tablets and e-readers have to be charged regularly or at least connected to a wireless charger and to the internet and the cloud. And that costs energy and money and has a very negative impact on our already vulnerable natural environment. It is also difficult when the sun or a lamp shines on your screen and reflects the light in your eyes. And it has been proven that screen time before going to bed can cause structural sleep deprivation, with all the consequences that entails.
But there is good news!
From now on you can read books without needing a power source or a connection to the web and the cloud!
You can take the new books with you wherever you go and they don’t weigh much!
You pay a fee for the author, the potential translator, and the producer upon purchase, and then that book is yours alone to do with as you please!
You can take it with you anywhere, in your bag or in your coat pocket, or put it on a designated bookshelf or in a designated bookcase at home and pick it up to read it whenever you want to.
The text does not appear on a screen as you are used to, but is printed with ink on paper. Yes, really! On paper!
Just as you might still have a printer at home to occasionally print an official document or do something artistic with, printing companies have new machines on which they can print books, cut the pages, bind them and provide them with a cover. Then those books are bought by bookstores, where you can buy your copy.
And besides the usual digital bookstores, physical stores are opening again everywhere, where you can sniff that typical smell of printed books, have screen-free contact with other book lovers, and choose from a large assortment at your leisure.
Give it a try! Buy and read a book made of printed paper!
Or borrow one from a so-called library, a building full of paper books!
And don’t worry about those poor trees, because the paper comes from sustainable forests that are specially grown to make books in an environmentally friendly way!
Give your eyes a break from those intrusive screens and start reading books printed on paper! It may take some getting used to, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll never want anything else again!