Joy #7 - Literacy

This could be the eternal blog entry if I wanted it to be. How can I say all there is to say about the joy of literacy? I cannot, so I will limit myself to the few things that are on my mind right now.

Written language is perhaps the most amazing human skill of all. Even more amazing than the spoken word. Many animals can communicate vocally. But how many can write? The whole concept is incredible. With a few marks and a common value system (A means A), I can communicate ANYTHING to ANYONE. Without having to be there. Emotions, concepts, requests, and information can all be conveyed not only to others, but to others who are separated from me by great distances of space and/or time. It boggles the mind. And I, little insignificant I, am able because of this amazing system to partake of the wisdom of the ages, to know the words of the prophets, to share emotions of those I love who are not with me. It's one of God's greatest blessing to man, this ability. Following are 4 reasons I love literacy.

1- I can access any information I need. Whether I need a recipe for Creole Rice, or my child has a fever and a rash, or I need to find the nearest car shop, I can find the answers I need to provide for myself and my family. Granted, the internet makes the speed with which I can obtain this information marvelously fast, but the internet itself is merely a highway for literature, for the written word. Photos are helpful, but the written word is the point. Included in this category is the access I have to information to better myself. Learning opportunities are greatly increased by the written word. There was a time in the not so distant history (and even today in some echelons of society) when people could only know what they were taught in person. If someone you knew personally did not know a thing, you would never learn it. Apprenticeships were highly valuable because that was really the only way to learn, directly from the mouth of another person. You were very limited in you potential careers and opportunities. The invention of the printing press changed the world forever. People soon were not nearly so limited by their environments. I can study books and learn anything I want to. I can understand the world around me with a clarity never before available. Information is power. Groups that want to control populations first attempt to control the information, the media, the literature. It's a joy to live in this time and in this place, with this freedom of access to information.

2- I can escape this world and experience practically anything. I love reading. I can lose myself in a book for hours on end. It is truly the most economical form of pleasure I know. From the sweet simplicity of childhood stories to the complex beauty and excitement of tightly woven mysteries and love stories, there is nothing so truly enthralling as reading a book. Movies are fun, but not nearly so stimulating to me as the written word. At the movies I am entertained. When I read I am immersed, involved, engaged in a way that not only keep me occupied, but educates me as well. Movies and TV are passive. A brain reading is a brain working, exercising. And there are no limits on this imaginary world. Reading for pleasure is surely one of the greatest joys of this life.

3- I can use the written word to share myself with others. This is also a great blessing of literacy. This very blog, which allows me to put my emotions and thoughts into words, is an example of this blessing. I find that for myself, the struggle to put my emotions and thoughts into words helps me comprehend them so much better. If I can explain them, I can understand them. I think people journal for this very reason. I think we are commanded to journal for this very reason. The Lord wants us to think, to stretch our minds, and to truly grasp what and who we are. Literacy is a pathway to this end. Perhaps it is not the only pathway. People in the past were commanded to ponder (as are we). Some other religious traditions emphasize meditation. I think these can bring us to the same type of self-examination and self-awareness. But for me, the exercise of writing seems to be the most effective way to know myself. And with writing I can share this self-knowledge with others in a way pondering and meditation cannot.

4- The gospel plan is available to me, purely and fully. At times, churches controlled all religious information. The few in leadership controlled who knew and understood what. Although this was a consequence of the limited availability of books, that power was ultimately abused and used to control people. Now, because of my literacy, I have access to the literature of the great religions of the world. I can compare, contrast, and study many religions. I have access to all the teachings of my chosen religions' leaders and great thinkers, past and present. I have access to the words of Christ. In Greek and Hebrew, if I wanted. I can know my religion in a way not possible until very recently. How great is that? A blessing and a privilege. Of course, with great blessings come great responsibilities. I shall be held responsible before God with regards to taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me, like the servants in the parable of the talents. He has given me much and I an duty-bound to magnify those opportunities.

I find so much joy in literacy that I feel this small post cannot do justice to the enormity of the blessing. But I intend to take as full advantage of this blessing as I can for my entire life. So if you'll excuse me, I have a book to read.