The 5 Most Important Books of All-Time, Including the Dictionary and the Bible
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, is a short story in which an apple tree shows its love and devotion to a small boy by giving of itself for his benefit. At first, the boy merely eats the tree’s apples and plays in the branches. But as the boy grows so, too, do his needs. He needs wood from the tree, which it gladly allows him to take, until it has been cut down to a stump. Even then, it is still in the service of the boy, now an old man, as a place for him to rest his weary body. This concept of undying love is one that should continue to be taught, which this book does in a brilliant and succinct manner. It is a great story for young children, as it teaches them love and selflessness at an early age.
The is founded upon the principles set forth by a few great thinkers. One man, Baron de Montesquieu, wrote his ideas in his 1748 book On the Spirit of Laws. He proposed the notion that there are three types of government: monarchies, republics, and dictatorships. He argued that a government elected by the people was the best form, however, its success depended on the right balance of power. In his book, he discussed the idea of separation of power, for which he used as a model, which divided its power between the King, the Parliament, and the judges. Our country today has a similar separation of powers, the executive branch to enforce the laws, the legislative branch to make them, and the judiciary branch to interpret those laws. This book should be preserved as a foundation upon which future governments may be created upon.
People’s beliefs guide and direct them in the choices they make in their lives. Many people look to organized religions to provide them with a set of beliefs. Of the world religions, Christianity is one of the mostly commonly practiced, and its ideals and teachings are contained in the Bible. One does not necessarily need to believe in the Bible in its entirety to learn from it, it contains many principles and lessons by which all people should live. The Ten Commandments are a good basic set of rules which anyone can apply in their lives. They teach us not to covet others possessions, which may lead to theft and murder, but to love our neighbors. The Bible teaches not to judge others, as no one is perfect, but to forgive them. These ideas are necessary for civilized society to continue, and this is the book to teach them.
The English language has become a very expansive collection of words. Over the course of its history, words have been added and removed, based on people’s needs to express their ideas and communicate what the see around them. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the language contains words that come from many different roots. So many words exist to convey thoughts that a dictionary is necessary to keep a record of them all. The dictionary must be saved in order to preserve the intricacies of language.
Of the great scientific theories throughout time, few have been more significant and controversial than those of Charles Darwin. In his book, The Origin of Species,Darwin lays out a method by which all living things may change and evolve. His model, which was unlike any other at the time, showed how a particular animal could adapt to its environment through random mutations. In his writing, he argues those only those best suited to their surroundings survive, and thus reproduce, passing those traits to their offspring. Eventually, these are the only traits present in a particular population, and those traits that did not benefit the species are non-existent. I would choose this work to memorize and “become” as I feel it is the model that best explains how things came to be, and am very interested in the scientific workings of evolution.
In the event that books were ordered destroyed by the government, these five books contain some of the most important ideas that will be needed in the future. Detailed in them are standards for living, expression, science, and government. The books would allow society to be rebuilt on their principles, allowing the people to begin again with the best ideology civilization has developed thus far.
