I was watching one of those “person on the street” segments the other day, and along with the usual gotcha moments when people didn’t know facts that seem pretty obvious to most of us, there were a large number of young women with the same reaction about young men: they were amazed when they met a guy who reads books! Report after report is showing that reading books is decreasing, and that the younger you are, the less you read. This should be taken with a grain of salt, because the younger you are, the more likely you are to consume online materials, which also counts as reading. Still, wordsrated.com reports that, “51.57% of American adults haven’t read a whole book (print or an e-book) over the past 12 months.” Grace needs to be given for those who have difficulty reading, but the data is clear: we are reading less and watching more. Fear of what can come from reading also leads some cultures to limit who can read, and enslaved people in America were not allowed to learn to read – led to dangerous thoughts and abilities.
In the educational world, it is said that you spend the first three years learning to read and the rest of your life reading to learn. This dangerous trend of reading less is what led me to say yes when our local United Way asked me to be part of a program called “Ready.Set.READ!”, a multi-faceted program that reaches out to children in pre-school and the early elementary years to assist children who might need a hand up. I have served on the board and tutored in the program for a number of years, and all I do is sit with a child for 40 minutes a week while he or she reads to me. I give assistance when necessary and am a source of encouragement. Pretty easy way to help, don’t you think? (Volunteers are always needed!)
Over the years, I have known a lot of people who were functionally illiterate, and their struggles are heartbreaking. They are smart and they work really hard to succeed at life, but their inability to read well keeps them from achieving their full potential. For those who can read and don’t, what is wrong with you? Reading is fundamental to our lives in so many ways; intellectually, socially, spiritually, and in too many other ways that can’t fit here. Reading broadens our views and can teach us empathy; it can also narrow our perspectives and turn us in bigots. Most of all, reading, like travel, shows us perspectives we might not otherwise experience. I learn about other cultures and perspectives and ideas; I gain a broad sense of God’s diverse world. Reading is, actually, fundamental. Buy a book and enjoy! It will change your life.
Prayer – God, thank You for Your words that give us perspective, and the words of others that can increase our understanding. Amen.
Today’s art is “Girl Reading” by Oleksandr Grybanov.