Allie Beth Stuckey

In fact, many acts of valor throughout history have been accompanied by a speech.

Or we know about these heroic acts through stories.

Without words and the conveying of words throughout generations, we have no way to orient ourselves in human history.

No way to understand how we got here or where the path leads.

Now, a person could have an understanding of the spoken word without reading.

That has been the case in many eras throughout history in certain parts of the world.

But not being able to read well severely limits your vocabulary.

And that totally inhibits your access to the discovery of new words and thus new ideas.

Plus, it is the written word by which we have reliable, consistent renderings of ideas and events which contain instruction, inspiration, warnings, etc.

There is a reason why different groups throughout history have been barred specifically from reading, like slaves.

Why the Protestant Reformation boomed at the exact same time as the printing press and literacy rates.

Because reading liberates.

It frees us of our own naivete.

It unlocks potential in our brains that has proven to be very threatening to tyranny, spiritual tyranny, intellectual tyranny and political tyranny.

It is so easy to think of the small picture when it comes to reading that it's boring.

It's hard.

It takes a long time.

The minutia.

Who cares?

It's just putting words together.