Literacy is at its peak of human existence.
The learning process repeats with each new generation. No enhancement can be made to inherit literacy or knowledge other than learning it the hard way from beginning (ABC).
In human lifespan of 80 years, the first 30 is used to learn from scratch. It takes close to half the lifetime of the average human to be able to appreciate literature works. To be able to read and weep and be able to feel the thoughts of the author. To allow words to invoke our personal feelings.
How can good literature works be produced when so much time is needed for learning literacy?
Our fast moving environment and culture forces us to take the most direct and concentrated path to learn the skills needed for our own career such that the only text we choose to read are the ones that are informative and educational. And honestly, the bulk of it zooms down to either "business" related or "engineering" related. And if you are none of the 2, it's most likely that you'd fall either under "medicine" or "law".
And in the business of literacy, most of these writers produce pop trash which in turn tries to make some business out of it. All these works are without much value of literature.
There are genuine authors out there.. Not to make a living but to share their knowledge. Share their works of literature, in hope that their works can invoke the reader's feelings. To be able to share their emotions via words and text. Sadly, too little of such writers are in the modern world today. Unlike the old victorian days, where writers are highly sought and appreciated, today's writers produce stories in hope it becomes a movie script.
Genes can be inherited and even cloned BUT knowledge can't. With each new generation, all begins from naught.
To learn anything, one has got to learn how to read first.
And that skill, might be the most daunting task for both the young student and the seasoned teacher.
Today is 6th July 2009
Time now is 11:15 hrs
One whom can read, write and appreciate the language well, might not necessary mean that he or she can be able to teach or transfer the knowledge well.