Revelations II: Words of Wisdom

In spite of what we have been taught, printing did not start with Johannes Gutenberg in Germany about 1440-1450 although he was known for the invention of movable type. What made his work remarkable with such a social impact was that he developed a complete system of movable metal type, ink, paper and the printing press. No one would suspect, or guess, it was the Chinese who first invented and utilized block printing in roughly 600 BC. They even progressed to movable type, similar to Gutenberg, but abandoned it because it did not fit with their language and script. Later in 105 AD they also invented paper as a relatively cheap improvement over the common material, papyrus and velum (animal skins), which had been in use for quite some time. As we are all aware, in spite of their contributions, it would be quite some time before any of these developments would progress to their wide-spread utilization by the general populace throughout the world. Two evolutionary traits were necessary for printing to become a viable means of communication. The first was a society's, or a race's development of a written language. Strictly verbal communication was fine, how-ever, it did not lend itself to mass communication. The second trait concerns literacy. It was just fine if the educated elite could write and also read their pronouncements, however, it was of not much use if the general populace could neither write but, more importantly, could not read what someone else had written. The first task was to develop an alphabet. Next came the construct of actual words and finally, it follows naturally, a system of writing them down permanently. And now, twenty five hundred years later, we are the blessed recipients of those many years of discovery and development of printed matter. And, Oh, what an inheritance we have. Words, words, words----they overwhelm our senses both audibly and visually. Whether it be the news on TV or our favorite songs on the radio, during the drive to and from work, they assault us. From the idle chatter of our friends and cohorts to the very intimate and genuine communications of our significant others, wives or husbands and children, verbal sounds clutter and overwhelm our brain. Some have an impact while others are merely processed expeditiously, as the saying goes, in one ear and out the other. So also we are constantly bombarded by the written word. One's employer's communications and directives, letters and cards, our daily mail, magazines and newspapers and even in our routine travels, ie., stop signs, school zone warnings, no U turn directives, speed limit restrictions and one way signs all assail our mind and senses with words. As with sounds, most of these do not permanently register in that small mass of cognitive muscle between our two ears. Yet, there are those times when certain phrases, whether verbal or written, impact our senses, register in our minds and are savored as something more than just words. And yes, they are still no more than words, but oh how they can have such a priceless impact on our world. Here they are arranged in a manner which communicates emotions and feelings, desires and longings which seem to connect mysteriously with our inner being; that part of our mental process which concurs, 'I had not thought about those issues that way before,' or 'yes, that observation or admonition is certainly worth remembering.' Such are the 'words' which are offered here. Some are familiar, which does not make them any less relevant. Many may be new revelations for you. 'Revelations-Words of Wisdom' is a relatively short but priceless relating of some of the best thinking from long past up to the present day. It encompasses all phases of life from the beginning, birth, to the ending, death. It has the power for each of us to understand and cope with many of the anomalies in our lives. As Lord Byron described them