Breaking the shackles of time

Dear Carl,

I read your quote with great interest, but I'm not sure that I agree that "breaking the shackles of time" is an unmitigated good. I tend to fall on the "live in the moment" mindfulness/presence end of the spectrum as a default. When I see endless arguments over how the words of Jefferson, Madison, et al apply to machine guns and email snooping, the binding together of citizens from distant epochs loses a little of it's luster. When I see wars and genocides caused by (or at least justified using) books written even further in the past (or due to those books' predictions about what will happen in the future) I wonder whether we truly benefit when people who never knew each other have such influence over one another.
I guess in a way it matters a lot what you meant by "great." Dictionary.com lists 23 separate definitions for great, including:
1. unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions
4. wonderful; first-rate; very good
7. important; highly significant or consequential
13. of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable

Writing must certainly be viewed as one of the most consequential human inventions, certainly of extraordinary powers. But, based on the examples above, I can only conclude that to call writing one of the most wonderful or meritorious inventions is premature.

I would love to hear your response, but alas, you are a citizen of another epoch...

Regards,

gautschi

ps - The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment