The Decay of Literature
Literature tells us everything we need to know—about the individual and about society. What someone reads, or does not read, tells us everything.
Look around. The common books we see today are How to Think, How to Listen, Atomic Habits, The 48 Laws of Power. Books that tell people things that should already be known—that making our bed in the morning leads to more productivity, that it reflects our mental state. That smiling and bringing positive energy to those around us leads to success.
These books are symptoms of a world where intelligence has fallen, and I dare say, this is not only true for America—it is a global decline. They provide results, but not the depth to understand them. They do not teach empathy; they teach apathy. They break down complex ideas into something digestible, when some concepts are meant to be a tough pill to swallow.
I had a conversation this week with a law student about literature—about my belief that we live in a society of the educated uneducated. A world where no one truly reads, and critical thinking has been cast aside. That modern education has not fostered intelligence—it has manufactured the illusion of it.
Of course, she debated this. So, I asked her, as a law student, what literature do you read?
She had no answer.
And this is not an isolated experience—it is the norm.
Modern education has killed the love for knowledge. How many people go to the gym religiously but refuse to work out their minds? Because people care about perception, not substance. We are a rotted apple—red and crisp on the outside, decayed within.
I know individuals earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees who have never thoroughly read a book. Who pursue education not for knowledge, but for money and career advancement.
What happened to reading to understand oneself? Because the more we understand ourselves, the more we understand the world. The more time we spend in others’ shoes, the more we cultivate empathy.
Classic literature is dying because it teaches people to think—and most individuals would rather die than confront the reality that their entire belief system is built on nothing.
To face the horrors of oneself, most would walk a thousand miles to avoid it. Because reality is terrifying, and we do everything in our power to escape it.
We pursue careers we do not care about, we work for criminals, we sacrifice our morals for the betterment of our perception.
If you want to know the true state of society, look at what books are selling—and more importantly, what people refuse to read.
-Noa Nocciola