It makes me pause and think about the serfs of old Europe, the slaves of the Americas, and the poor in many countries like India who fight and fought so hard to be literate. There is an inner craving to express oneself, to communicate at the deepest levels, and the most trivial of ways for fun. That primal need spurned the creation of alphabets for languages that had not previously considered having one. There are many tribes around the world trying everything they can think of to maintain their languages, customs, their stories and traditions. It is so deep this need, but here in the States we contradict our children. Somehow we have emphasized something else, and the burning need to be educated has wilted down.
Oprah Winfrey despaired when she admitted why she built a school in South Africa instead of the United States. She said across our country the children were more interested in tennis shoes. Ain't that some shiggady?- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 11.10.13
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