C.S. Lewis wrote: "If you were looking for a man who could not read Virgil though his father could, he might be found more easily now than in the 5th century."
Such is the fear of educators as statistics show illiteracy is on the rise.
Not long ago reading represented the ladder to climb out of poverty, to break the stranglehold of ignorance, and to enrich the lives of whole generations. As the goal of stretching our reach beyond our grasp, reading had been the tool to lift us from the stagnation of mediocrity.
What can we do today, to reinstate the need to read and to keep reading alive for future generations? I think it all has to do with work.
Farmers, shopkeepers, tradesmen, and professionals alike are successful because they never shirk the concept of continuing education. Having identified their strengths, they invest time in reading to stay ahead in their field. Just as the soil furnishes a fertile environment for plant growth, so does reading provide the seed bed for new ideas and success in their careers.
The solution to the world's problems, economic, social, and physical, will not be found by "texting or tweeting" but instead by reading lessons from the past; implementing ideas for the future.
"It should come as no surprise that a society with the manners of a rock band, the morals of a soap opera, and the decision-making abilities of the Simpsons wants to pay for the future with a Mastercard." –Chicago Tribune
