It is hard to perceive being illiterate in society today. We are a communication based society. Yet there are many people who are illiterate and have to get by with the assistance of others. Everything we do today involves reading and writing of some sort. Many of us are oblivious as to the depth at which we read and write without giving it a second thought.
Without being able to read or write, life takes on many new challenges. We could not do many of the things we take for granted each day such as reading the menu in a restaurant, texting our friends, reading a good book, filling out an application, and paying our bills. We would not be able to drive legally because we could not pass the written test to obtain a drivers license. We would have to take the bus everywhere and that, too, would pose a problem because we would not be able to read the bus schedule. It would not do you any good to own a computer because you would not be able to use it, and forget about the internet it would mean nothing to you.
Obtaining gainful employment would be nearly impossible even if you did have someone fill out the application for you. Working at Burger King or McDonald's requires being able to read the menu to perform the job properly. You might be able to work as a janitor, gardener, or cleaning lady, but what would happen if your boss left you a note? Of course, you would not be able to read it!
How would it feel to be illiterate today? I am sure you would have to hide the fact from practically everyone. If somebody found out, it would probably cause a great deal of embarrassment and humiliation. Only a few close friends or family members would be allowed to know and you would have to trust them enough not to tell anyone. You would live in constant fear of someone finding out your secret. You would never feel truly free. There is nothing like the freedom of being able to read and express yourself in writing, but you would never know that. You would have to depend on someone else to read your mail to you, the instructions on a frozen dinner, a menu to you, and write your checks for you. Balancing a checkbook would be out of the question, and you would be left quite vulnerable. With this vulnerability it would be able for people to steal from you and you would never know it.
Fortunately, it is never too late to learn how to read and write. Thankfully you can go to your local adult school and learn. A whole new world would open up to you. A computer and the internet would take on a whole new meaning for you. This would be a very liberating experience. All that is needed to read and write is a willingness to take the time and learn. All of us are capable of learning, and none of us is too old to learn. Let's face it in society today being literate is a requirement to lead a full productive life. So long until next time!
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I also had difficulty in trying to imagine being illiterate. I agree with you on how we are a communication based society. We are constantly texting, e-mailing, calling, and instant messaging one another. Gone are the days when we had only the postal service to deliver letters. Communication has definitely made the world smaller. To be illiterate in this world would be very painful because we must constantly read all the information that we are bombarded with. I also suffer from taking for granted the amount of information I get from reading. Many of the things we don’t give a second thought to such as filling out forms when we go to the doctor or when applying for jobs.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that if we were illiterate, we would never be free to express our minds or take actions for ourselves. We would always be dependent on others to receive our information and to aid us in times of need. I’m glad that you pointed out that it is never too late to learn to read and write. There are many adult schools that offer such programs and strive to end illiteracy in the world. The best gift we can give ourselves is that of language. By mastering how to read and write, we free ourselves to express our minds, look after ourselves, and become productive members of society.
I have first hand experience dealing with an illiterate person, and it was sad, but heartening at the same time. He was a hard worker who did his best at the only job he was qualified for, a laborer at a shipyard in Mississippi. He did as he was told, and did not bother anyone, but when it was his turn to get lunch for the crew, he could not read the list. He tried his best, but just could not do it. The story is sad because he was tied to the shipyard no matter what happened because he was already an older person with no hope of starting over. He was a productive member of society, paying his taxes, and not causing anyone harm, but very vulnerable to the whims of Washington politicians who could decide to cut his job, and thousands like, just because it was defense related. He lived in the Deep South, where social programs like adult education are not a high priority, and not likely to be under the budget constraints given State and Local governments face.
ReplyDeleteSo having adult education is not enough, people need to have access to it, and in some cases it must be bilingual. Also it must be at no cost to the participants, since the illiterate would be among the poorest, per your own observation.
I totally agree with you. We need more than just adult education and it must be affordable or at little or no cost to the participants.
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