5500 years ago, writing helped us improve communications exponentially.
Communicating an idea verbally and then relying on memory for its dissemination was one thing. Chiseling ideas in stone, marking them on wet clay tablets, or inscribing them on papyrus was transformative, like the appearance of spoken language or consciousness; something unrepeatable and profound. Ideas literally became engraved, and a permanent record occurred for the first time. And literacy has been the foundation of civilization ever since.
For 220 generations, our culture; our laws, stories, beliefs, instructions, opinions, and reports, have been recorded and transmitted as the symbolic representations – the code – of human ideas, and these ideas have underpinned civilized society for good and evil ever since.
It makes sense to pay attention to this skill, especially for those charged with training and those being trained.
Literacy is not just a communication skill; it is a process for discovery. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli neatly encapsulated this principle, “If you wish to become acquainted with a subject, write about it.”
But how does anyone go about becoming acquainted with a subject? By asking and answering questions. A process known as Ideation. This applies to all children and all adults without exception. Discovering meaning and communicating truth depends on our ability to recognize and manipulate mutually comprehensible symbolic code.
Living life can be thought of as the process of discovering how we feel about things. Whether it is the discovery of self or the world around us, literacy is the best tool we have. And literacy starts with questions and continues with effort.
“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” Doctor Samuel Johnson
How do you get children or colleagues to make the effort and have fun?
Download my FREE Terego Ideation Method™ Workbook
Thanks for reading.
Alex
