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Books Speak as Loud as TV

This is an era filled with various scientific achievements, and television is one of the most flamboyant among them, influencing several generations' behavior by molding them into the same mindset regardless of their race, gender, and background. Intoxicated by the superficial success of TV culture, some throw the irresponsible statement that reading is not as important as it once was, for people can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books. This is far from the truth. Though television has become an integral part of our daily lives, the role that books play is still irreplaceable and merits further advocating.

Admittedly, television gives us an option to traditional education through reading and classroom teaching. Indeed the vivid images it produces succeed in the education of children, who are much more inclined to accept visual information than abstract letters or characters. Television also raises our consciousness by providing the latest news and discoveries, extending our horizon by such documentary programs as "National Geographic" and "Discovery", whose contents might otherwise be unapproachable in an entire lifetime.

Despite all these advantages, the shortcomings of televisions are equally, if not more, apparent. Television stations operate as profit enterprises. Consequently, television programs are profit-based, and their commercial orientation drives them to be entertaining more so than educational, for the latter are typically less profitable.

Furthermore, watching television can neither provoke abstract thinking, which is most crucial in advanced scientific research, nor can it teach effective management and adequate control of written language. Written language carries the utmost importance in inheritance and dissemination of knowledge. Books contain the collective human experience, knowledge and wisdom. Human talents of abstract thought, logical dialogue, philosophy and writing style can be acquired only through the reading, digesting, and rumination of novels, texts, essays and speeches. Shallow, short-sighted, entertainment programs offer no such enrichment.

In addition, watching television tends to overemphasize machinery, ignoring humanity. Open an ancient book and read the comments by those living centuries ago, thousands of miles away. The book itself connects readers and writers across time and space, giving one the sense of belonging to one large human family. Lying on sofa watching television with popcorn in hand can only cause isolation, alienation and depression.

Borrowing the saying John Keats inscribed on his tombstone, we can describe television programs as "written on water". They are ephemeral. Whereas for books, as William Shakespeare wrote, "nothing of them doth fade/but doth suffer a seachange/ into something rich and strange".

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