Why Do We Write?

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Why do we write?
Introduction
Human civilization's development was marked by the evolution of language and how it was moved from one generation to the other. Quite specifically, it was heralded by the gradual shift from spoken language to the embracement of written language. Writing has therefore been a crucial aspect in the advancement of humanity through the speedy dissemination of information. Over time, writing has constituted a crucial part of human existence
All human beings, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, and geographic location, engage in writing in one way or another. Some people write because it is the primary basis upon which their work, learning, intellect, values, and contribution to society will be judged. In contrast, other people write because it is a means to an end, used to achieve educational and business goals. However, with the origin of writing still debatable, the exact reason why writing was invented has not been established. Nevertheless, it is universally acknowledged that writing is an essential part of the human species' communication and collaboration. This paper examines why people write to communicate, achieve educational goals and a career.
Literature review
The literature on the origins of writing and why people write is broad but unclear. In the 1950s, scholars had unanimously agreed that writing had first occurred in Mesopotamia (Iraq) and was used to represent the heritage of Sumerians ((Nissen 123; Stein 44). However, recent evidence indicates that writing was first used in Mesoamerica among the Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Mayas, and Olmecs tribes found in Costa Rica and Southern Mexico (Miller). It is quite interesting and curious to realize that these groups were also among the earliest civilizations globally, clearly showing how writing has played a crucial part in the advancement of society.
These tribes operated two writing systems; open systems that were used to record sound and grammatical structures of their languages and closed systems that were used to record and preserve the policies and decisions of kings, queens, princes, and princesses. There are currently more than 5,000 recognized inscribed artifacts with the extensive inscription containing 26 signs and the others containing just four or five symbols (Robinson 97). Furthermore, since the meaning of the symbols in the known inscribed artifacts varies from one region to another, identifying the exact reasons people write is still debatable. Generally, for these people, the writing was in the form of what they experienced or practiced daily within their societies. It, therefore, acted as a record-keeping tool for them and their generations.
Such was the case with other ancient groups and civilizations, such as the Egyptians and Sumerians, who used special forms of writing called hieroglyphics and cuneiform for the same reasons. They did use writing to record any important or significant events in their lives or societies at the time, in a way that could be indelible for ages to come.
Writing as a means of communication
The primary reason people write is to communicate with others and stimulate an action or interest from readers. Barnett indic...