Is writing a dying art?; From our Digital Citizen in Philippines writing in NightZooKeeper

Literature writing is an art that is commonly moved aside and rejected for its unpopularity, uniqueness and misunderstood beauty. Literature at first, can be quite simple, write a word, explain, and it can be called a masterpiece, but it is not just a simple flick of the pen. Literature is writing out your feelings, emotions, learnings, opinions, suggestions, and the list goes on and on because the possibilities are endless.

It is a common belief that literature art such as poetry writing, oration and story retelling is an unentertaining hobby, “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” Once said by Cassandra Clare. Some choose physically active sports rather than mentally oriented literature or vocally interpreted literature. Sports do improve physical health but it is not all that a human body needs, it needs leisure and rest, a hobby that can exercise its mental capacity and an outlet for emotions kept within.

It has been proved in a survey conducted by filipinoyouth.org that 3 out of 10 students would pick sports over creative writing and 4 out of 10 in adults, dated last 2017 of December with correspondents ages 13 to 23 years old. In lined with the survey this simply proves that we are in need of an outlet like creative writing especially at this century where mental illness is thriving and athleticism is overrated. Developing a healthy population not only physically but also mentally and emotionally is what we need to be the best in the world, the universe rather.

What can we get from practicing such arts? Public speaking can improve an individual’s confidence in verbal arguments and defending the facts they know and opinions they can contribute. Relating it to public speaking, we will be reminded of the humble beginnings of the world’s greatest orator; Demothenes. He was a Greek man who aspired to be a lawyer but with a great obstacle, he stammers when he speaks. Alone, he went out to the sea and open fields to practice speaking without stuttering. With great hard work and perseverance, the Ex-stammered became a good speaker. Not only that, after many years, he became the Greek’s greatest orator. His story will only prove that the practice of oratorical arts can bear fruits of success. Simple works of this practice have made great impacts to the people that read them, take example Margaret Fishback Powers’ poem “Footprints” more commonly known as “Footprints on the Sand” which got the title “The poem that inspired millions” from its religious theme and the warm emotion it lets out. We can also take account our national hero; Dr. Jose Rizal, who freed us from the clutches of the Spaniards using his talent in creative writing to ignite the flame of the Filipinos that were mistreated ad constantly being stripped off of their independence. One of us has the possibility to follow the footsteps of Demothenes, to make another poem that would inspire millions, but how is that possible if the youth of today are using their idle time to engage in technological recreation such as social media, online gaming, and online videos that brainwash the youth with their explicit content. Wattpad, a popular app and website, is a platform on the internet for zealous writers, but if the website is searched on similarweb.com: A site that compared its ranking of popularity to other sites, it can be seen that Wattpad has a low ranking compared to other arts and entertainment websites. It just shows that we are not using the technology we acquired for improving our literary knowledge but for things that are irrelevant to a human’s well-being and development

The rekindling of passion for these dying arts will start at school, we should heighten the implementations and conductions of school programs such as English Language Festivals and other programs that would let the learners improve and practice expressing themselves through creative arts, public speaking, and creative writing. We the millennials should be the catalysts of a world where expression through literature and arts can thrive without the hindrance of recreational activities and technological advancements.

Will you be the savior of these arts or will we be the cause of its termination?