Writing is the practice of precisely communicating information through the exact organisation of symbols, letters, and words. From ancient cave paintings to intricate hieroglyphs to eloquent and effective modern language, writing has been incomprehensibly important to the growth and development of the human race. Writing is a cognitive activity and a refined form of thinking - exact, concise and organised. Importantly, writing is a durable and resilient method of communicating information through time (with the preservation of books and libraries) and space (via letters or emails).
With writing comes reading, for writing is useless if people cannot understand what is trying to be communicated. Before the invention of the printer (an often underrated invention), books were expensive and only accessible to the upper classes of society. Before the industrial revolution, while books were more accessible, only a small percentage of the population was literate. We now live in the age of information and self-education, where reading and writing are crucial skills for any aspiring productive member of society.