In its early days, this nation had one of the highest, perhaps the highest, literacy rates in the world. Of course, women and slaves didnt count in those days. As early as 1635 there have been public schools in Massachusetts. Political theorists came from other countries to witness this national wonder - vast numbers of ordinary working people who could read and write and debate and argue. Our devotion to education for all propelled discovery and invention, a vigorous democratic process, and an upward mobility that pumped our economic health. Today, for various reasons - including undernutrition of the very young - the U.S. is not the world leader in literacy. Nor is it the world leader in infant mortality. In fact, its at the low end of industrial nations in how many of our babies we manage to save. Many of our judged literate are unable to read and understand very simple material, much less a sixth grade textbook or an instruction manual or a bus schedule or a mortgage statement. And the sixth grade textbooks of today are much less challenging than those a few decades ago, while the literacy requirements of the workplace are more demanding than ever. The gears of undernutrition, poverty, ignorance, hopelessness, and low self esteem all mesh to create a kind of perpetual failure machine that grinds down dreams from generation to generation. All of us bear the cost of keeping this machine running. And illiteracy, and to the extent that in contributes- undernutrition, is the lynch pin of this failure machine. Even if we were able to harden our hearts to the shame and misery experienced by the victims, the cost of illiteracy to all of us is severe. The cost in medical expenses in hospitalization, the cost in crime and prisons, the cost in special education, the cost in low productivity and in potentially brilliant minds who could help solve the dilemmas besetting us. Even if we didnt have a microgram of compassion in us, it would still make sense to take heroic steps to avoid undernutrition and malnutrition in fetuses and infants and children. And to make reading available and attractive to all Americans. This will not solve all our problems, but it will take us far. ---Carl Sagan
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 23:20:50 +0000
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