Something on my Mind: I Can't Read (Part One)

Let's talk for a moment of a crisis of epidemic proportions. If it doesn't get addressed soon, we're going to have to head back to drawing on cave walls, and scrawling our life away, in between grunts.

It crosses all cultural, colour, gender, and social barriers. It crosses age barriers to a point, though like other crises in society, it tends to affect the young ("young" being a relative term).

In case you didn't get the play on words, I am working with the "I Can't Breathe" movement that has taken a certain segment of the youth culture (and other anarchists) by storm with our friends to the South. The issue I'm considering is far, far more serious, and ironically, transcends whatever we've read of stateside.

You see, an illiterate, unskilled (better: not able to read or willing to learn) workforce is a serious drag on the economy. That in turn leads to financial, moral, medical (mental and physical health), and social issues.

An illiterate populace, in other words, is a pathetic and impotent populace.

As a father, writer, teacher, and citizen, I am alarmed at the systemic illiteracy of kids everywhere. I suppose I am to blame as much as anybody, though I have tried for decades to inspire my own children to embrace reading—and ditto for my role as a teacher.

"I Can't Read" is actually an all-encompassing term for the following: "I don't want to read, I don't want to think, I can't comprehend, I am lazy, and I don't care."

The most fundamental form, of course, is that they pick up a paper or book, but can't read the words on the page. Or, if they can read the words, they have no idea what they just read.

Beyond that, there's the form of illiteracy whereby they read and comprehend the words, but stagnate: limited vocabulary with absolutely no motivation to expand or deepen it. Have you ever tried talking to these people? It's very draining.

There have never been more aids to assist said readers, yet, ironically, these aids may, in fact, be the greatest stumbling block out there. A screen here, a click there, and there is no need to investigate, search, or even expand both their vocabulary or people skills. Rather than stimulating thinking skills to develop, they actually assist this mindlessness.

We have become a nation of surfers and watchers, loafers and spectators--not readers and thinkers. Even at the till of my favourite fast food outlet (which I won't identify, unless I get a commission), I often "help" the associate with the change—all in my head, of course.

And I don't consider myself particularly bright in math. I happened to be raised in a different generation where we had to write out everything by hand, knew our times tables by grade three, and revered reading books. We weren't dumbed-down by computers. To this day, I rarely go to bed without reading a chapter or two.

Computer games and other virtual cyber toys don't cut it for me. Mindless, moronic sit-coms alarm me: This is what so many of our people "feed" on for their intellectual stimulation? Try talking to someone who has spent an hour on a virtual battlefield, or any one of those other mind-dulling, butt-numbing, time-wasting games, and you'll know what I mean.

A grunt here and a scrawl there makes one wonder where we're heading.

Remember the three R's? In case you're too young, or have spent too little time connecting with the past, they are "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic." Stated another way, literacy and numeracy. Where have they all gone?

If young people cannot read or compute (both which lead to basic thinking skills), they are in serious trouble. And because their numbers are increasing, then our whole culture is in serious trouble. And as this present generation lurches into adulthood, it is followed by a yet another generation of dullards...oh boy.

We all need those skills for basic, daily processes, namely, following instructions and directions, reading maps, and assembling things—just for starters. Like you, I have been around people who have limited vocabularies, whose every second word is "like," "well," and "thingy." Or, when really frustrated, drop the f-bomb like it was part of their respiratory system.

I hope everyone is able, uh, to read and understand this column. If not, maybe I should scramble over to the nearest cave, get some mammoth blood ink...

Something on my Mind: God for a Day

In one of those wild moments during a slow morning recently, I got this really crazy idea of being God for a day. As bizarre and irreverent as it sounds, my rationale is as follows: What would happen to my world, your world, everyone's world, if the Designer of everything had complete control of His creation—for even just one day? He is in charge, I may add, but the point is, How many even care?

You can enjoy the following thoughts, friends, even if you don't believe in the biblical God. You may have a god of your own making, no God at all, or some cosmic deity. Or maybe you don't even give a hoot.

First, if you have a god of your own making, go ahead and compare yours with mine; second, if you don't believe in any form of deity, then this is just silly reading for you, but I do dare you to read on; and third, if the god you believe in is an impersonal, detached celestial killjoy, well, do I have news for you.

By the way, I'm not here to convert, just challenge; not to save, just stimulate. I don't believe my mandate for this column allows for proselytism.

One of my first mandates, in that twenty-four-hour window, would be to get everyone to read the Good Book. Not quite sure why, but to this day it has been banned from most significant institutions, and even many churches don't seem to give it the credibility it deserves.

Twenty-four hours isn't very long, so I would quickly get people to read the Good Book. It wouldn't take long for them to find models of, and solutions to the following: justice, family life, economics, climate change, work ethic, social matters, education, and many other pressing topics. You would find some surprises in its pages.

In the first few hours, I would firstly point them to, say, the passage on the Ten Commandments. Trust me, if we even followed the spirit of the Ten Commandments and the world improves overnight. And not just the world, but your community, your home, and yes, you (which includes me).

The Ten Commandments are not as highly regarded as they should be; to be sure, it's a piece of ancient literature that far too many people ignore. Not quite clear why: Even our legal system has its roots in the so-called Decalogue. I wonder how much better things would be?

Surely you must know some of them: honour your parents, don't steal other peoples' things, no fooling around, tell the truth—just for starters. There are six others, but I think I would have my hands full, in my limited time, trying to get these extremely practical ones off the ground.

Would the world you live in be a better place if kids honoured their parents? Dumb question. What about stealing—the breaking and entering kind, the mugging kind, even the political kind? Another dumb question. And the whole sex thing, completely out of control at every level: Would we be better off with keeping our hands to ourselves? Yes, I do know the answer. And lying: What a great world we would have if no one fooled, flattered, or fibbed anymore!

To expand on these thoughts, I would need a year of columns, but I won't burden you with that. Just read it for yourself.

In the remaining few hours, I would probably shift to justice. You do know where the phrase "eye for an eye" comes from, don't you? Right: the Good Book. It teaches that if you do the crime, you do the time. It teaches that there are consequences for actions; some not as severe as others, but consequences nonetheless. Ultimately, the "wages of sin is death" says it all. Pretty heavy stuff, but it rings true, doesn't it?

I think that means that our streets, homes, and public places would be a lot safer. Not sure if I would go as far as stoning, but I suggest that if the little things were dealt with judiciously, we wouldn't need to sweat the big stuff.

Time would run out before I could go to the Good Book and teach the world about true, workable social programmes, carried out within the context of a larger, supportive community—sans government intervention. And space forbids the clear, honouring relationship men should pay towards their wives and other women. Radical stuff, you know, but implemented correctly, it works.

Frankly, to be honest with you, I think I would make a terrible God. I'll leave the running of the universe to Him, and the reading of His book to you.

Something on my Mind: I am Pro-Choice (Part Two)

One of the signs of a fragile economy results from how we make choices. We choose to do these things, or not to do those things; we make some very stupid decisions about purchases, vices, and habits; or we tend to simply be careless and weak in most decision-making processes.

Often we choose that which we can't use, with money we don't have, for things we don't need.

The Good Book equates good choices with wisdom. Wisdom is not about knowledge, looks, finances, or one's standing in the community. No, wisdom is all about making good decisions.

Young people tend to make stupid (no other word for it) choices when it comes to sex, drugs, liquor, money, and the law. They pay for it dearly with health and money issues, criminal records, and such. But actually the rest of us pay for their stupid choices with escalating hospital costs, crowded jails, and a debilitated workforce. Don't tell me others' bad choice don't affect all of us.

I was young once myself, you know. I too made some stupid decisions. I broke a girl's heart when I needed some space; I listened to music behind my parents' back (really: How bad were the Beach Boys?); I sneaked out to a movie (American Graffiti) without my parents permission (sorry, Mom); and I broke the speed limit...sometimes.

Pretty tame stuff by today's standards. But then back in those days, the school and home worked together; homes were made up of a stable marriages (the old fashioned type, you know, a mom and a dad); and the law at every level was respected.

Today, we have this goofy notion that even if you promote and teach chaos, somehow order will arise. I don't think so: You choose to start with order and assume things will improve from there.

Meanwhile, back to me: I made some other decisions. I never touched another woman till I got married to the only other other girl I dated. I chose not to drink or smoke. I chose to slow down, then buckle down, and to work hard and keep my job. I chose to attend and complete university. I chose to use my money appropriately.

By the time I finished my teaching degree, for instance, I was debt-free, driving a car that I owned outright. I chose certain financial paths that has led me to where I am at today—all being the fruit of decisions that I made a long time ago.

That didn't happen simply because I was white (which I am). It's not my fault I was born that way; I accepted the fact that I was born where and how I was--and made the best of it. Likewise, that didn't happen because my parents raised me in the Christian faith. I had to work through my faith myself; I got off to a great start as a child, but as an adult I had to make certain choices. No one else is to blame for what I chose (or didn't choose).

No, my "success" happened because of choices that I made and others made before me, all for my good.

I was not entitled to a job because of my skin colour. I could not claim any sort of injustice (or privilege) because of the way I was raised. Some of that passes when one is a teenager...maybe. No, by the time I was in my late teens, I started to own up to the responsibilities (which are more than rights) of being an adult male in this culture.

Today we are seeing the results of the entitlement game—choose your angle—and all it ensues. People choose to rob a store, get (a girl) pregnant, vandalize, then turn around and blame their parents, the school, or society at large.

No, they are guilty because they made stupid (there's that word again) choices, but won't own up to them.

This is how it works in a stable society: We make wise choices, live with them, and make the world around us better. The results are a steady work force, strong families, literate and articulate populace: these are components of wise society, of people choosing well.

Or we make stupid choices, die with them, and destroy those around us at the same time.

Dumb decisions that run along poor money management lines, sullied moral lines, and "me-first" mentality lines, all contribute to a downward spiral, creating a fragile society.

It's a lesson that too many kids, parents, schools, and the politicians fail to grasp.

When I choose not to work, choose not to take care of things, choose not to take care of my body (or someone else's), choose not spend time or money wisely, choose not to obey even basic laws of the land, then I (and others) will suffer the consequences. I cannot blame my parents, my school, my neighbours, or my government.

We're not discussing occasional mistakes, or spur-of-the-moment calls that get us into hot water. We all do that. People, I'm talking a lifestyle of blatantly bad choices, with no sense of personal ownership for the consequences.

Choose well: it's your call.

Something on my Mind: I am Pro-Choice (Part One)

I'm not sure why, but when my dad was offered a job in St. Louis decades ago, he turned it down. He decided to stay in Richmond, BC, and raise his family there. The rest, they say, is history: His choice of vocation and location had a ripple affect on his marriage, church, and the future of his four sons.

Today, I live with the results of that decision—and I was fine with that.

Almost thirteen years ago, I went through the same process: Either stay in Abbotsford, BC, or move to southern Alberta. The ramifications were pretty severe, yet I made the bold decision to move to Alberta. Like my dad, that choice has had a ripple affect on my marriage, church, and the future of my own nine kids.

As they've gotten older, they too, like their dad and granddad before them, have made or are making vocation and location decisions. It's a pattern that has been in existence since time began, and will continue until time is no more.

I was free to choose and I chose freedom. Freedom from financial millstones and freedom from urban chokeholds; freedom for a healthier and safer lifestyle, and freedom for a brighter future for my whole family. It's been tough, really tough, but it's been good decision. I made the choice, and now I live with the consequences.

We are all the product of other people's choices. In my case, my dad made a decision that affected me; I did the same with my own kids. If they didn't like it here, then as they got older they had the freedom to move elsewhere. They were not bound by my decision, yet they will have to live with theirs.

They are free to make good ones or bad ones, ones that will impact both themselves and those around them, to their advantage or disadvantage. It's called taking responsibility, taking charge. It's a rare ingredient today, and not only among the young, either.

If there's one thing that we global citizens all have in common—black or white, Indian or Chinese, pagan or religious—it's choices. Unfortunately, the more repressive the society, the less freedom there is to make choices.

I'm sure Somalia, North Korea, Iraq, and Kazakhstan come to mind when you think of repressive societies. People bound by Sharia[h] law, shackled by the cultural prison or sexism, or waiting for that dreaded knock on the door at midnight, are far from choosing their own way. I agree.

We all certainly have deep-rooted desires to choose: to live, to hope, to work; choices to be free from fear, hunger, even death.

And then there's Canada—free, open and choice-friendly Canada: We live in a country with freedom to choose lifestyle, education, career, housing, even groceries, yet I wonder if we as a nation have ever been more restricted ourselves. We're Somalia without the sadistic warlords, North Korea without a leader with goofy haircut, Iraq without the religious bloodletting, or Kazakhstan without the megalomaniacal imprint on every surface.

In other words, we live in a land where there is a plethora of choices, but we squander them on a daily basis. Canada by all accounts should have a thriving economy and a robust society because of freedom. There is no reason for anything else.

Yet while we have the freedom to choose life, we tinker with death; freedom to hope, we opt for despair; freedom to stand up, we cower. I suggest much of our woes, from individuals to a nation as a whole, are because of stupid choices we all make on a regular, daily basis.

You see, there's a myth out there that freedom of choice is defined as having no restrictions, no rules, no boundaries. Freedom, then, in the minds of many, means doing what one wants to do, when one wants to do it, with whomsoever one chooses.

Friends, nothing, as in N-O-T-H-I-N-G, could be further from the truth.

One of the ironies of the West is that the more things and less restrictions we have, the better off we are. The more of the one and the less of the other makes us better, happier people. Again, nothing could be further from the truth.

It's new year, and this is my token resolution column: Choose wise choices.