The educational reality for people in the United States is diverse and ineffective in many ways. Plenty of people have not been taught or failed to learn how to think properly about different important subjects. This is not about indoctrination or changing anyone’s mind. It is about destroying ignorance that damages everything from the overall fabric of our

society to how well people get along with their next-door neighbor.

When the schools failed to destroy ignorance, what options do we have? Families are supposed to take up the slack or, in fact, be the primary educational and guidance force in a young person’s life. However, so many of them failed to do that, too. This could be due to lack of ability or knowledge on their part or simply because they do not want to or feel it is not their responsibility. That shows the type of ignorance that the world needs less of.

There’s a simple solution: reading.

Reading widely improves:

• Factual knowledge
• Vocabulary and grammar
• Global understanding
• Emotional intelligence
• Human behavior
• Critical thinking skills

Reading books, articles, news stories, and even things like social media posts and comments from everyday people provide these things in copious amounts. It is important to read WIDELY or you risk narrowing your mind instead of enriching it.

Reading destroys ignorance because it gradually and naturally improves all the things that improve cognition and our thought processes.

Factual Knowledge

The more you know about history, government, science, culture, and everything else, the greater your base of understanding is to make smart decisions about what’s going on in the world. It also helps keep you from looking like a fool in conversation.

Vocabulary and Grammar

The ability to understand the written and spoken word is essential to destroy ignorance. Also, the way you communicate with others helps to increase and improve the possibilities of sharing knowledge and empathy.

Global Understanding

The world is a very large place with many different realities in it. Too many people are ignorant of what happens outside their borders and how it affects their lives. Reading about other cultures and experiences can fight dangerous types of ignorance like racism, classism, and other types of bigotry.

Emotional Intelligence

Part of understanding and regulating your own emotions is understanding the experience of other people’s feelings, too. Reading can improve emotional intelligence and empathy through demonstrating how people are different and the same.

Human Behavior

Behavioral similarities and differences require empathy and understanding, too. Everyone has a reason for saying what they say or doing what they do. Reading nonfiction and fiction demonstrates a wide range of human behaviors can foster psychological understanding and improve relations in the real world.

Critical Thinking Skills

Far too many people read one thing and get sucked into an echo chamber of similar claims and thoughts. While they may be reading a lot, they are not reading widely and therefore not getting the benefit of improved critical thinking skills. This is one of the most insidious problems demonstrated in recent events and throughout history. Read from a wide variety of sources and practice your critical thinking skills by judging the source and the information it provides.

Ignorance destroys societal bonds, can rip apart families and friend groups, brings down businesses, and sometimes gets people punched in the mouth. In this information age when a new article or post shows up every microsecond, it is more important than ever before to seek out information from different sources and read critically.

Many people can’t regulate these things on their own because the educational system or their families failed them. The best thing to do is read widely and don’t stop. Challenge yourself to seek out new sources of written information, borrow or buy books you may not have considered in the past, and never use one source as the sole answer to any of the important questions plaguing our world today.

1 – Over 50% of fourth-graders reported reading for fun every day. That number dropped to under 20% by eighth grade.

2 – Nearly 68% of people who could not read fluently by fourth-grade end up in the criminal justice system or on welfare.

3 — 85% of all juvenile offenders can be considered functionally illiterate. 60% of the people in jail are illiterate.

4 — 25% of all children in America grow up without learning how to read proficiently.

A lot of these horrible statistics (and more about correlations between illiteracy and teen pregnancy, welfare, violent crimes, and even health care costs) tie not being able to read with poverty. The logic is obvious. People who drop out of school, struggle in poor schools, and whose time and attention is taken by the day-to-day struggle or urban or poor rural survival have little time or opportunity to sit down with a book.

It’s a vicious cycle that I can imagine solutions to, but, from my comfortable suburban home outside of all these life-truths, can’t really imagine how to implement any of them.

I do know these things to be true:

1 — Reading is necessary to get anywhere in the world, from high school to college, through a job application, to pass a driving test and get a license, to figure out financial statements or legal documents, to know how to stay safe and healthy.

2 — Reading books at the library, from Amazon, and reading articles/posts online can give you an incredible education about many, many topics that can translate into profitable businesses, new ideas, personal growth, and fun.

3 — Nothing can transport and transform people more than the written word.  Movies are great, but they are passive entertainment. Reading engages the synapses and makes you think, whether you read the biography of a famous figure, a how-to book about gardening, a classic of literature like Shakespeare or the latest romance novel.

This post is a bit of an introduction to what this site is. It’s not only my love affair with reading spilled out online. It’s an exploration of what reading IS and what it can do for people. I believe in the power of the written word, and I want to share it with others.

As far back in history as humankind has gathered together, people have formed a community around stories and shared information. Just like primitive folk told tales by firelight to entertain each other and bond, so too can modern people share their love of storytelling and informational exchange out loud. World Read Aloud Day has become a global initiative with millions of writers, readers, storytellers, and listeners from over 170 different countries.

This year when people cannot gather like they could in healthier times in the past, reading out loud is still as important as it ever was. Teachers read to their students over Zoom meetings. Families separated by distance can read on the phone or in video chats. Parents share favorite books with their children.

Fostering a sense of community may face challenges these days. Reading aloud gives people a way to come together and communicate while sharing diverse ideas and entertainment at the same time.

Participate in live events, grab some swag, or check out book recommendation lists at the LitWorld.org website itself. Use the #worldreadaloudday hashtag on your favorite social media site, too. Most of all, find a book, story, or other written words to share with others and promote literacy and community.