on writing

"In the face of such widespread tragedy, such loss and strife, why would anyone waste a moment - let alone a lifetime - writing? ...The question comes up often enough in a writer's life. Parents and students, parents of students, spouses, parents of spouses, employers, and strangers at public events or on airplanes will ask it in myriad ways. What they're asking about is indulgence. The question is important and fair, complex and serious. The answer, though, is easy. Why write? Why read? Why teach or study writing? Because story and image, metaphor and syntax, and the endless combinations of twenty six letters, confirm our humanity. These are our defense against apathy, our insurance against inequality, and ironically, our shelter from indulgence."