Freedom to Read Week Day 7

First of all I want to apologize if I offend anybody with my post. It was not meant to be offensive but rather to be a bit on the facetious side.

In the beginning God created earth, then he rested upon the seventh day and then had an idea to create man. But man was so bored that he asked God to create a companion. So then God created woman, to shut the man up. And then for some idiotic, crazy reason God created language.

I know it may not be the same way as the bible goes, but considering that the bible is also one of the most read and talked about books in the world, it just goes to show you that without books we really would not know how f*ed up our past history would really be.

I am reminded of a favorite movie and TV show of mine: Stargate. In the film the Egyptian god "Ra" banned or outlawed the ability to read and write so that his slaves could not rise up against him. This would be similar to the actions of the person, government or idiot, who would ban books in today's world. There would be a lot of people hunting him down to kick his ass.

Without the written word we would not have medicine to heal the sick, education to teach the doctors, or even a parent’s knowledge to encourage their children to become doctors.

Without the ability to read, society would stagnate and we would still be living in the Stone Age. Primitive cave man that assisted in the establishment of the written word would not have learned how to evolve pass their limitations. If god did not give man the ability to read and write we would all end up as Paleolithic Neanderthals - butt ugly and naked.

I first learned to read when I was six years old. My mother at the time was also my grade one teacher. Although at the time she was not my mother. You see I was a foster child. It was my adopted mother, that grade one teacher, who spent the time to teach me how to read. I had a learning disability at the time, and still do. If it wasn't for my mother who taught me how to read I would not have become a writer as I am today. I volunteer at a junior high school in Edmonton, Alberta and I enjoy teaching and helping the students in the English Language Learning (ELL) class to improve their ability to read. Not necessarily English, but to read. Some of them have come from countries where they were forbidden to read or write. Reading and writing is not a privilege, but a basic human right to pursue.

There are many books written in so many languages that hold the key to our history. In 1929, Erich Maria Remarque, wrote a book called All Quiet on the Western Front, this antiwar novel was banned in NAZI Germany for being demoralizing and insulting to the Wehrmacht. This book gave a historical account of what war was like back then.

Sadly, there are far worse things in society that people can see on YouTube, in the movies or on the news that can be far more traumatizing than what is printed in a book. Fiction or otherwise.

I have a young friend who comes over to visit quite often, and I have always told her that if she ever wants a book I would more than glad he happy to buy her one. Every time we go in Chapters I always get her to pick out at least one book. Reading should not be banned or outlawed but instead always encouraged, sought after and done. We need to encourage our children to read more from books, rather than what they have access to through a social media site, or on the web.

So I will say this...ANYONE who attempts to ban books, ban the ability to learn from the written word, ban the ability to become better educated by books, restrict imagination or inhibit someone’s love of reading because of some “stupid” reason...I will kick your ASS! Luv Ya!

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