“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke

Permeating human culture and religious belief is the idea that the written word has a supernatural power. To understand this one must look at writing through the eyes of the first humans to see it.

Imagine seeing someone look at strange indecipherable symbols on a rock, a wall, a tablet, or a scroll, and that person could while doing that, read the thoughts of someone they had never met, or tell others how to build a temple, or tell stories from the distant past.

It’s difficult for humans in the 21st century to understand that there was a time when writing was an earth shattering new technology, that gave those who understood it the ability to perform what surely must have looked like miracles.

The kids that get seriously bullied, if they survive it, don’t have anything to lose. They aren’t in it for the nookie. They no longer care what you think. They are the prophets. They are the ones who will say what no one else dares to say, because they believe it is true, and for no other reason. They don’t always get it right, but when they do, it’s spectacular, and unforgettable.