What’s something you believe everyone should know.
Two hundred years ago it was far more difficult to find educated people than not. Back then if a person could read and write, it was possible to learn “all that was knowable”.
Now in the 21st century, far more people know how to read and write…but not all. And there is a sizable percentage of the world population that while they may have a basic knowledge of reading; they are far below what their reading level should be and are considered functionally illiterate.
I am an avid reader and feel very strongly that it is a skill everyone should have and use.
With the exception of trade journals and the like nearly every newspaper in America is written on a sixth grad level (the Wall Street Journal writes on an eighth grad level).
Many books are also written around the same level to reach the largest population.
No longer do we need to depend on oral histories and storytelling to learn history; everything is available via books and online on the internet.
A few years ago, someone did a study of the U.S. Presidents and their reading levels based on their non-structured appearances (no prepared speeches) and while some of them had a reading level of ninth grad and above; there was one whose reading level was far below that…on a fourth grade level. For a world leader, this is far below what it should be. A world leader should be highly educated and be able to read important reports and news of world events.
Many years ago there was an ad pushing literacy whose slogan was “Reading is Fundamental”. No truer statement was ever said. Reading is a fundamental necessity for knowledge…and knowledge is the most treasured commodity in the world.
The Mayans, Incas, and other civilized cultures treasured knowledge above all else. The word for knowledge was often referred to as treasure…a treasure more valuable than gold!