They sit on my bookshelf, alone, neglected, and lonely. Once, they were prized, valuable. Within them was the knowledge of centuries. Today, they still contain that knowledge, but they are no longer sought after. That is the sad fate of my set of World Book. Alas! They have gone the way of the dinosaurs.
Who is the culprit? Who can I blame for this deplorable condition? Need I even ask? It’s the internet, of course. Why go to the trouble of opening a book, shuffling through alphabetically, and coming upon the information needed which is probably too old to be of any use any more, when I can go to the computer, type anything I want to know on the search bar, and, presto! There it is in a few seconds.
I worked hard to get this set of World Book, and the Childcraft books, the Cyclo-Teacher, the Dictionaries, the Atlas. But, I never use them. Once, I did, but technology has triumphed.
In fact, I have two sets of Childcraft and the older set is my favorite. It has those wonderful old poems and nursery rhymes, the fables and children’s stories that have been around for centuries. Sometimes I open one of those old Childcraft books and re-read, just for the fun of it.
Many other things have gone the way of the dinosaurs, things I used to take for granted. Why doesn’t anyone use cursive writing any more? Why isn’t shorthand being taught? What happened to running boards on cars and those V-8 engines with a lot of pep, and hayrides and paper dolls and Sears catalogs? Where’d they go? And, why?
Are people in danger too? Could we become obsolete? I hear about robots doing our work for us, performing operations, driving cars, providing companionship. A trickle of fear runs down my spine. Are these warning signs? Will I, one day, sit alone on a dusty shelf somewhere, watching a modern, mechanized world whirr and click and fly right past me? I feel a sympathy with my set of World Book and those long ago dinosaurs and I can only say, “Boy! I hope not.”
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