View: Literacy - a life skill and a privilege that opens up whole worlds

World Literacy Day took place this week, and it reminded me that even here in Ireland where we have a reasonably equitable education system, the ability to read and write is not something to be taken for granted. 

And while advances in digital technology have opened up new supports for those who struggle with literacy, they have also led to a whole new set of barriers with so many tasks that used to be done in person now needing to be carried out online.

The most important aspect of literacy is of course at a practical level. But it is a life skill which can also bring great joy. Being able to pick up a book and get drawn into a fictional world is so much more than a form of entertainment. It allows us to leave behind the demands, the busyness and noise of everyday life in a simple yet powerful form of self care and wellbeing.

I spend as much time as anyone else on my phone, probably more than average if truth be told. The lines between work and leisure are blurred, particularly when it comes to engaging with social media. A quick scroll through Facebook usually involves a few brief connections with relatives and friends, but also spotting a few things that are of interest professionally.

I enjoy television too, and love the range of viewing options available nowadays. 

But again, it doesn’t provide that total switch off. 

A book, on the other hand, is absolute. 

As soon as I start reading, I am drawn into the story, the characters, the place, as real as if I was there in its midst.  

I seldom re-read a book. The magic is lost for me once I know how it all unfolds. It is the twists and turns of the plot, the characters’ hopes, challenges, fears, pain, achievements, their interactions, their total emotional experience that engulf me, holding me in that world until the very last word. 

I am happy to suspend belief fully in order to enjoy pretty much any genre - well, I’m not a fan of the classic romance novel - but have no tolerance at all for plot holes, or characters that don’t ring true. 

I like writing that is unflinching and unapologetic, that doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter, taboo, or tough, soul-baring emotions. I love to have my beliefs and thoughts challenged, to read a book that leads me to look at the world a little differently, or that lingers with me long after the last page has been read.

During the Covid-19 restrictions when some people were cocooning and others were adhering to strict travel restrictions and had little or no social interaction, books became a lifeline. They allowed us to experience an existence outside our own little bubble, to meet the most interesting characters, to travel to far flung places and to enjoy a sense of fun and adventure, to overcome obstacles and to know triumph in the face of great adversity.

Books also allowed us to escape from the reality of the horror that was happening around us - the mounting death toll, the awfulness of long Covid, the isolation of hospital patients, the challenges of supporting children, the elderly, the sick, the vulnerable. They lifted us from fear and anxiety not only within ourselves, but that was gnawing constantly at a societal and global level. 

Some people can read anytime, anywhere. I’ve always been a night-time reader. As a child, I would read under the covers with a torch, long past the time when I should have been asleep. 

These days, it is when I go to bed and pull the duvet close around me with just my hand poking out to hold my book, that I switch off all my daytime thoughts. The endless list of things that demand my attention simply dissolves in the face of fantastical adventures, epic, life-changing journeys, or deep, character-driven stories, thrillers, or gripping, real-life experiences. 

I can’t imagine a life without books, be they physical paper copies or in electronic format, and the growth in sales suggest that I am far from alone. I love that there is still a place in this often manic world for such a simple pleasure as opening the cover of a brand new book. 

It is a simple but wonderful indulgence to relish that first waft of a new book smell, to close my eyes and let it fill my senses, triggering a rush of expectation as I dive into whatever new and wonderful world I am about to discover.

World Literacy Day has reminded me not to take any of it for granted.