History of Writing?

I wonder, how did the system of writing come to be?

Did some man scribble some odd signs on the ground or on a wall and deemed it to signify words and meanings? It's hard to fathom such a thing when we take it for granted everyday. We grow up and learn it as we go along without thinking about where it has come from and where it has been.

Imagine if there were no such system, no reading and no writing. It'd be chaotic I'd say. Everything would be passed out orally such as stories, news, gossip, homework, grocery lists,etc. I wouldn't even be doing what I'm doing right now. Hell, I bet English class would be a lot easier! ...Maybe?

The Druids used to remember thousands upon thousands of tales and myths; all committed to memory and all passed down from generation to generation. They didn't have an alphabet or writing system. People used to rely on them to remember things and look to them for wisdom.

And yet, now we write everything down. Does that lead to memory loss? Or does that mean we're just committing to memory only things that matter. I mean, who wants to remember the grocery list from 3 years ago? Although, it would beat having to write that stuff down every single time you go out. So, do we write for laziness? Are we not competent enough to memorize things anymore? Probably not.

But some things have become easier with writing such as the spread of knowledge. Math equations would be extremely difficult by solving them out loud. Ha! Imagine the math whizzes try that one!

As for me, I'm writing to keep a grade like every other school boy/girl/it.