While reading some historical account of how reading is evolving. In addition to many other interesting ideas, one idea that I could not get out of my mind – and hence this short musing on a really serious topic – was that at one time books like War and Peace were considered great books but really very people read it – if they were not forced. I can think of many examples like that. It appears that what is considered important, what people like, and what they become loyal to depends a lot on availability (or should we say supply) and the norms that society imposes based on that.
If at a particular time, you only have very few options, in the limiting case only one, then you are forced to like it and over time start becoming loyal to it. As time progresses you become so loyal that any challenge to that ‘idea’ becomes kind of blasphemy to you.
Maybe this explains success or arranged marriages as well as loyalty to a local sports team or even to local leaders. Yes I know these issues are not as simple as I make them here, but I just wanted not to lose these thoughts so decided to scribble these here.