It's not about ending war or curing cancer. It's not about anything that will, for the most part, be remembered for very long. It's about entertainment, and maybe a little bit of learning. It's about taking someone along on an adventure. Any author who can get that reaction has written a pretty successful book.
Monastic silence is good.
But monks don't eat very well. Heavy brown habits are too hot for summer. They also itch in winter. And monks don't have sex. I'll stick to the world.