Why do we write things down?

If we take a look at history and the evolution of humans as a culture and civilization, guaranteeing our survival through procreation would be at the top of my list. Look mom no hands. Hundreds of thousands of years of wondering who we are and why we're here might have been the very questions our ancestors where thinking about, till one day someone decided to apply color pigments to the inside of a cave wall.

By definition, the modern practice of history begins with written records. Dating back to Ancient Mesopotamian, about 4000 years ago, the form of writing used was with round-stylus and sharp-stylus. Over hundreds of years, Chinese and Egyptian civilizations developed its own language, giving way to the more traditional form of an alphabet that we use today. Again, I guess what we were seeking by recording events and legends were to capture life in the moment, so that those to come can know what our interaction with the world and what was taking place. Knowing is half the battle. We write things down so that we don’t forget, so that we may look to the past for answer. Sometimes, not always, I take notes so that I can study for an exam or to send the ones I love a message on their birthday.

Writings things down gives not only man kind as a whole but we as individuals the opportunity to leave a mark in history. Take this blog for example. Yes, it is a part of an educational program but, I will be leaving my footprint somewhere on this Earth in this life time or another. As digital and minuscule as that foot print may be it is now part of my legacy although I highly doubt anyone would ever care to look. So why do we write things down, I believe it’s so that we won’t forget who we are, how we got here and what we did while we were there.