When we are born, we quickly realize that we have needs. Our first need is very evident even instinctually that we need to eat. We must have nourishment. As a baby we have no idea that it is so we can grow. We just know we are hungry. Then, as we grow we realize we need shelter, love, and other things. One thing I believe is often overlooked is a learned skill. A skill that so many people never acquire yet the need is so great.
As I walked through an indigenous neighborhood in Nicaragua yesterday, the lack of resources available to these people disheartened me. However, when we began a conversation with a woman named Julia, I became even more troubled and realized that one of our greatest needs as people is actually not a need at all but a skill set. A skill set that is necessary to understand so many things. The skill I am referring to is the ability to read.
As a teacher, I have encountered numerous students who cannot read or read very minimally. I have seen how this impacts them in America and also have learned many coping skills people use to be able to survive without this skill. However, as I walked through this neighborhood yesterday, I realized how much of the world is restricted from those who cannot read. When you have no tv to tell you what’s going on and you don’t have money to travel outside of your community, how do you ever learn? Even as we told people about God, one of the major questions I would ask is “do you have a Bible?” Whether they had a Bible or not, if you can’t read it what information can you gleen? The amount of information we are able to process is much greater if we read. I don’t mean we have to read novels or major philosophical works, but we read every street sign, every commercial ad, every person’s t-shirt as they pass without even thinking about it. Our brains work constantly because we can read. So, what does that look like for someone who does not have this skill? How much less does their brain work? These are the questions that I think of when I consider this.
If you have ever been to another country that speaks a different language, then you may have an idea of what it feels like to not be able to read. Every word you see, you don’t know what it says. So you develop coping skills. You associate things you already know with what you see. It is enough to get bye for sure. I mean I am on this world race and that is pretty much what we do. However, understanding meaning is always very surface level. True, deep understanding never occurs without understanding the language. The ability to read is the same. Without being able to read, it is hard to develop a deep understanding of concepts. So many people focus on the things that people lack. My personal revelation: It’s not always about things, skills are equally as important to the quality of life one has.
UPDATE: I only need $400 more dollars to reach my next fundraising goal. If you feel led to give, every little bit counts and it will only take a few little bits to reach that $400 so please consider giving! Thank you!!!
