Writing

Writing

Last week I began a three part series on some of our fundamentals for success, the first installment was that old favorite reading.  Now as advertised we move to the next of the sequence writing.

In the early days of our nation the fundamental building blocks of education were known as the 3 R’s; reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Though we were not a highly educated nation at that time, by today’s standards, I would argue that we were a better educated people.  The level of proficiency in writing seen in many early-American writings show a far superior grasp of the English language and its grammatical structure than what is seen today.

Prevalence of a Problem

Who today, has not read a newspaper, magazine, book, or blog without finding an ever-increasing volume of mistakes?  What has happened?  It is my opinion, and you all can have your own as well, that we have diluted the value of this skill of writing, and its predecessor, reading.  When the professionals of the field such as publishers, editors, and newsroom copy writers can’t, or won’t, get it right how can we expect anyone else to get it right either?

I recognize that anyone reading my posts are likely to find several errors.  This actually goes to strengthen my case, in that it goes back at least as far as my education in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  This is not to be a complete indictment of the classroom teachers, many of whom are doing everything they can to educate our children, but rather to an educational bureaucracy that has been built separating the decision-makers in an elaborate hierarchy too far from those who must implement the programming on a daily basis, often struggling with elements of classroom dynamics that the decision makers cannot or will not consider.

Why is it Important?

Writing is integral to the transfer of knowledge, and the conduct of law and business.  Writing also provides a record of history and precedent, which is important when we consider the words of George Santayana,

“Those who do not remember the past

are condemned to repeat it.”

If the written word were not important then there is no reason for libraries, bookstores, or some exhibits in museums.  Were it not for the written word there would be no scripts for your favorite programming (this could be an advantage compared to some I have seen) and there would be no instructions for all those build-it-yourself furniture or toy purchases we have all encountered.  Most importantly the written word provides us with scripture that can be passed down in its entirety, not relying completely on traditions and oral transmission to keep it alive.

The Future

The future is now.  If we want to preserve our language we must insist on high quality, not settling for less than our best.  With our children we must be vigilant as they engage in writing to guide them in the finer points of what they write as well as being tuned in to how they spell and punctuate.  Yes this takes time, but it also is an investment in their future, and our own.  When we engage our mind in enrichment activity such as this we gain.  For our society to have hope of success for the future we must communicate effectively and writing is foundational to that hope.  So the next time you hack out that text message or social media post, proof it, and drop the goofy abbreviations for everything.  Perhaps, in a text, for brevity an occasional abbreviation would be acceptable, but I would encourage accuracy and clarity.

To Do Well, we should commit to clarity, conciseness, and simplicity in our written communications.  I look forward to seeing improved writing from those who may read this article, and hope that you would each pass this on to others encouraging written excellence!

Next week: Arithmetic