Literacy
I find myself sitting here working and realizing that this issue we have as a country and a world with literacy really shouldn't be shocking. I myself spend hours in front of a computer or a device that can guess what I'm trying to type before I type it - no need to know how to spell. Have a question about something? Just YouTube it. Or google it and read some user-edited entry on a website and take a chance the information is accurate. Or- ask Siri. It is sad to me that we have lost the everyday need for libraries and encyclopedias. Don't get me wrong - I love technology and Heaven knows I use it as much as the next guy. Heck, I'm on here blogging about it. I myself am guilty. I read to my sons daily and try to instill a love of reading but I also let them use their tablets and we don't go to the library or bookstore on a regular basis. When I grew up I longed for our trips to the library to get any and every book I could carry - the smell, the feel of cracking open a book, the overwhelming sense of all the knowledge in that building and the responsibility of taking a sliver of it home with me. So today, I am working toward change. I am increasing our home library for my children and increasing our reading time and activities. I am also dedicating a day a week to the library or bookstore. Maybe, just maybe, I can instill this love and passion for literature and libraries and bookstores in my children so they can take it with them in school and to their friends. And maybe, just maybe, they can be strong enough to promote their passion and help create a new wave.