Literacy as foundation for lifelong learning Essay

Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning. The innovation of writing is one of mankind’s useful creations, it is more than the ability to read and write it’s also the ability to understand what you’re reading and what makes sense in what you’re writing. A person who cannot read and understand sentences, which cannot interpret and cannot write, is called an illiterate person. Illiteracy is the inability to read and write. Literacy makes a person more confident, ambitious and successful in life. Persons with a good education tend to be more confident and ambitious than those who are illiterate. Literacy is thought to have first emerged with the development of numeracy and computational devices. It increases job opportunities and access to higher education; it helps in the economic growth and development of a country. Increases Vocabulary Reading increases your vocabulary, it help persons to learn new words and improves their spelling, the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to and they will inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Reading also helps in your talking skills. It helps you understand different ways of life and expands your imagination. Stress Reduction A well-written novel, play or newspaper will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax. Reading is a wonderful source of pleasure for many people, and can provide a healthy escape from routine. Mental Stimulation Reading helps to keep the brain active, us like every other muscles in the body, and the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy. Reading prevents the brain from Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Better writing skills This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. Tranquility In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.