Reading: Why Words Matter
“A River Never Rises above Its Source.”
Old C.S., as he was called, understood that words matter. He knew that words communicate thoughts, form ideas and represent feelings.
Charles Scribner II, editor of the renowned New York Scribner’s publishing house, maintained literary standards for reading and writing.
In a recent article about a particular institution that is sinking, financially and as a result of drifting standards, these few written words underscore Scribner’s meaning.
“Meanings of words must be fought for and guarded, not just to keep a ship afloat, but to have it heading in the right direction.”––(WORLD magazine, February 3, 2018)
With the deterioration of language itself comes a decline in source reading material where rivers of information seek paths of least resistance.
Result? The ability to think and communicate gradually erodes.
Education has failed to make readers of us all. Much less thinkers.
Education exists to benefit society. Words. Language. Ideas.
Words and the meanings of words are essential components for reading. Necessary nutrients for healthy minds and bodies, words can make us whole. Or tear us apart.
My daughter taught for 8 years in a Texas high school with 2,000 students where at least 21 native languages were spoken. Many of these of these students arrived in America with no understanding of the English language and no written language in the countries where they were born.
Lacking common ground for communication in both history and literature creates islands of ignorance where tribes learn to distrust those who are not like them. Tribal warfare results when people shoot from the shadows at those who disagree.
Is it any wonder that America appears more fractured than at any point in history?
The purpose of learning to read is not so students can pass exams.
The goal of teaching reading is to help students learn to think.
Reading to understand what we read requires thinking––the ability to process information and to use the mind God gave us.
Reading with understanding can help people make a life, not only a living.
Readers in the Food Court
Spurred by appetite, personal preference and marketing, Readers want what they want. Now.
“Reading today is largely a consumer activity––people devour books, magazines, pamphlets, and newspapers for information that will fuel their ambition or careers or competence. The faster the better, the more the better. It is either analytical, figuring things out; or frivolous killing of time.” Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book.
Reading is important because reading nourishes the soul.
Reading can affirm our identity as human beings of infinite worth. Reading reminds us we are not alone. Reading forges connections to people across generations and ethnic boundaries.
Reading helps people relate, communicate and empathize with others, especially when they can share a working knowledge of some of the same literary building blocks.
And people need to travel common literary and historical ground before hardening of the brain cells sets in.
Humanity’s ongoing struggle to communicate, to grow in understanding, adds to the ability to appreciate people’s differences. Individuals who can read, think, and speak for themselves help to maintain the standards Old C.S. fought to protect.
