What's in Your Hand Right Now?

It's not a book, but it could be.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how a book feels in my hands.

The reason might be because now that the campaigns are over, I’m not on the computer as much, and I miss the hand-eye activity. It seems instinctive.

Also after November 5th, I started going to the public library again. Where else can you step through the front door and feel so calmly welcomed? Easy lighting, comfortable chairs, no background music, no need for a credit card or an explanation of why you’re there. Books are on display everywhere for the checking out.

A book in your hands has thickness, texture and weight. The pages make a faint sound under your fingers with their softness or crispness. You become focused, with a sense of expectation. The book’s cover is like the curtain in the theater when the lights go down.

The pages of a book, or a newspaper or magazine, are not the same as a flashing, demanding digital screen. But — both book and screen have the same power to create a mind-body habit; our hands and eyes and brain have all worked together since humans began.

The important thing is, we can still choose what we want to be holding in our hands.

Right now I need the quiet way. It doesn’t mean I want to avoid the news in the world or online; it just means I need rest, too. No matter the pull of the internet, I can still choose between it and a book.

The other day I read, online, that young tech oligarchs are gleeful about the coming Artificial Intelligence global goldmine. While we still can, though, let’s recognize the value of Human Intelligence — and wear out our library cards!

Photo of Transylvania County Public Library, by Deda Edney