Ah, the joys of literature! For the longest time, I thought that books were just a convenient source of entertainment, a way to lessen stress, a method to improve vocabulary and intelligence. Most importantly, for me, it was a way to get lost in someone else's problems, someone else's life.
I was doing a little reading a little while ago, and it led me to ponder this: Do I even have a life?
Well, yes I do, I'd like to think. I mean, I just finished Khaled Housseini's The Kite Runner! If that's not living, I don't know what is.
This led to another question: What if, instead of living vicariously through my nonexistent kid, I'm living vicariously through books?!
Which I countered with: Well, so what?
Which I rebutted with: Well, don't you have your own problems?
And then I realized it. My rather simple life probably gains its simplicity from the fact that I read so much, I know how to avoid drama, and why would I need it if I have enough drama to feed millions right at my fingertips?
Which leads me to my point. Everyone should read more. You guys, the ones reading this blog entry right now, good job. Because literacy makes you a smarter, more well rounded person, I think. It makes you more aware of what's out there, and how to counter it. Literacy is one thing, but our public education system doesn't do much to instill in children the absolute joy of reading. The pleasure and life lessons that can be derived from it. And I think that's sad.
Everyone needs an escape. Books are mine. Sports might be someone elses. Music might be yours. I guess what this roundabout post is trying to say is, think of all of the negative things affecting our society today and think about how much of that could have been avoided if our youth all had safe ways to express themselves, and to escape from reality?
And think about how much smarter our society would be if reading was stressed much more in early education, if kids were introduced to the joy of Dr. Seuss just as a matter of principle, and not only if they have parents that have time to help them out with it at home.
I think that the merits of early education are severely undervalued, when they should be used to their full extent.
Just a few roundabout, progressive rantings that I hope maked sense and had a purpose and several points.
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