I’ve spoken before about my love of the animated series Gargoyles, and watching a few episodes these past few days has only served to remind me even more.

The episode I have just watched is “A Lighthouse In A Sea Of Time”, a very special episode about the importance of literacy. Unlike a lot of other VSEs though, “A Lighthouse In A Sea Of Time” (and the episode “Deadly Force”, about dangers of improper use of guns and the importance of respect and proper care of them) doesn’t come across as preachy, and as well as getting their message across they are also used as springboards for character development.

And if nothing else, “A Lighthouse In A Sea Of Time” gives us the following quote at the end, in-story as the forward of a novel a guest (and eventually recurring) character begins to write:

The written word is all that stands between memory and oblivion. Without books as our anchors, we are cast adrift, neither teaching nor learning. They are windows on the past, mirrors on the present, and prisms reflecting all possible futures. Books are lighthouses, erected in the dark sea of time.

If books are the lighthouses, then those of us who write are the lighthouse keepers. I don’t know about you, but I quite like that idea.