I'm reworking my blog a little bit. Although I intend to post book reviews and odd things of interest on occasion, I am tightening my focus on encouraging reading, literacy and language development.
One of the things that worries me most about our world right now is the changes in society that have made reading a forgotten past time. What we are failing to understand and point out to our children and to society in general is that to maintain the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that were addressed in the Declaration of Independence, we must read. Not just reading books that advance our careers and keep us up to date on the newest trends and buzzwords, but fiction, poetry and other verbal artistic works. The privacy and intimacy of the conversation between reader and author is perhaps the most valuable form of communication given to man. Why else do you think that God chose to have his Word written down?
As I was teaching my English classes here in San Antonio de Prado, Colombia and also in Itagui, Colombia, I discovered that my students were ignorant not only of world history and the history of their own country, but of their culture as well. This is not a trend limited to Colombia, but is a world wide trend that is a result of social media, video games, wandering the streets, the rap/thug culture and a profound failure of the educational systems of across the globe to place reading in a premium position in their curriculum. Whether by plan or by ignorant error, our educational systems have put our world at risk for tyrannical leaders to easily take control of every facet of their lives.
Tyranny, in its complete history, has rarely walked in as the bold and overpowering thug that it is, but typically creeps in through much more subtle means. It typically preys upon the poor, the weak, the illiterate and then the uninformed. It makes promises that on the surface appear just and good, but behind them is a club posed to beat them back down and steal their freedom. Literacy and reading hold back tyranny, because those who read have also learned to think for themselves. However, merely reading text books and non-fiction books or literature related to one's career does not foster the clear thinking that I am discussing. It requires reading of fiction, poetry and other verbal artistic works in order to penetrate the thoughts and emotions of a person.
Television, movies and video games provide too much of the picture to be useful in expanding thought and imagination. Social media simply expands those things which the person already associates themselves and for the most part are mind killers just like the first three. Next to reading, music stimulates the emotions and imagination, but it lacks the necessary penetration into the mind which helps to form sounds, images, smells, tastes, thoughts and emotions that are necessary to transport someone to a place and time where the conversation begins with "What if..?" and a discussion unfolds between the author and the reader.
Because I value the principles of the Declaration of Independence; of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I am refocusing my blog to encourage and promote reading, literacy and language development. I will focus most of my attention on reviewing smaller books and works in order to help encourage new readers or non-readers to get their feet wet. My own books are written in smaller chunks that adhere to the 1/4" rule (anything more than a 1/4" thick is intimidating), and my reviews will follow it as well. I ask you to not only subscribe, but to assist me in this task. If you know non-readers or new readers, send them my way and let's get them started into an adventure that will not only open their minds, but by the grace of God will help protect us against the loss of liberty.
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