We live in a world where short-form social media content has taken over, and it is so bad that people no longer cultivate the habit of reading as they used to in the past. There was a time when students and people flooded libraries to access materials for writing and learning. If someone had told me that the number of people who read daily would decrease in this internet age, I would have said it was a lie.
The truth is that people no longer need to visit a physical library before accessing books. There are many PDFs and online materials available for anyone who wishes to learn. However, the reverse is now the case, as people have become increasingly lazy about reading. You will see students and even adults scrolling through the internet, searching for what is not lost, and becoming engrossed in comedy content created online.
There is a saying that if you want information to become inaccessible, simply put it in writing, and you would be surprised how many people will fail to find it. It is even worse in Africa. A lot of people do not read unless it is for examinations. You will hear people say, “Ah, you are reading?” It seems that many people here do not believe reading is necessary for accessing information. Some even say, “I don’t have an examination now, so why should I read?”
Would it not be a tragedy if all these classical works of art were left on shelves to gather dust while our skills and knowledge die with us? Even now, most books are available in audio formats that we can listen to online without needing physical copies. Knowledge is wealth, and reading is one of the primary ways we acquire it. If you do not read, you are gradually losing knowledge, and you may not remain relevant for long.
All this time, we have sat on the fence, complaining and feeding off the struggles of our ancestors. What have we put in place for future generations? When I was young, I remember listening to my grandmother share witty sayings, up-to-date information about the past, lessons learned, and what we should and should not do. One would realize that this present generation often does not value such wisdom. Many believe they know it all and are unwilling to learn from elders, often saying times have changed and that we no longer do things that way. They claim we are now in a digital and technological era, forgetting that much of what they call “outdated knowledge” is the foundation upon which modern progress is built.
All developments in the world today are the result of the work of those who came before us. Scholars made it possible. That is why in academics, we reference past scholars, build on their contributions, and continue from where they stopped.
Is it our debt? Is it our indifference toward acquiring knowledge and skills? Is it our low drive for purpose and creativity? Whatever the answers may be, we must reflect on ourselves. We have to think about future generations. We cannot live here forever, and we must be mindful of what we do now, because younger generations are watching us.
If we do not cultivate the habit of reading, the coming generation will not see any reason to do so.
Education is power. And if you think education is expensive, then try ignorance.