The Power of the Written Word

by Steve Jacobson

(Editor’s Note: Steve Jacobson is the immediate past president of our affiliate and continues to serve on our board of directors. We are fortunate that he brings both his hard work and his wisdom to all levels of our movement.)

In 58 B.C. the great Roman general, Julius Caesar, began an eight year campaign to Conquer Gaul and other areas of western Europe. Unlike many generals of the day, he was also a writer. He wrote down his strategies, the reasons for specific decisions, and even what he knew about the opposition. I am currently reading a book based upon his writing called “The Conquest of Gaul.”  I understand that a book like this is not for everybody, and the remainder of this article is not a rehash of ancient history so please don’t give up on me.

As I read this book, it struck me as never before how amazing it is that Steve Jacobson could actually get a view of what was in the mind of Julius Caesar, over two thousand years ago. The only reason that I can do that is because he took the time to write down his thoughts and made sure the documents were saved. I have read other compilations of letters written by famous people that provide similar views into their thought processes as well.

I have no illusion that in two thousand years people will be examining the writings of Steve Jacobson or any of the rest of us who write in these pages. Yet, when we write, it requires us to organize and refine ideas so they can be clearly expressed. When we read what others have written, we gain insight into how somebody else thinks. Written ideas can even become the basis of what we would call today a network because ideas can connect us to one another. 

Right now, we live in a time with a lot of uncertainty. We are changing the way we communicate. Particularly, magazines are rapidly disappearing. Some of those disappearances make some sense because the subject matter has changed. During the more than 90 years that we have been publishing this newsletter, it has changed in a number of ways and it will change again. Nevertheless, newsletters like this one provide a connection to our past. They can give us a view of what people were thinking at a particular time. We can see why there was a time when a home for blind people was a stepping stone to success rather than a type of segregation that it would be today. There will be blind people in the future who will benefit by understanding the decisions we make and the positions we take. They will benefit from knowing more about our successes and yes, even our mistakes. As we continue into our second century as an organization, it is my hope that we will keep recording our ideas and read one another’s ideas to build a strong sense of what we are about. I also hope that we will make certain that our ideas and the ideas of those who come after us will all be preserved in some way. 

Thank you to those who work hard to create this newsletter. Just as important, thank you to each person who takes the time to read what is written here. Writing means little without reading. Both can help build a strong organization and contribute meaningfully to making the future better for blind people.