Can Literacy Make You a Better Human or Just Better at Grammar?

My family believes in two things strongly: Sunday rice and education. And if you try to take either from us, you're declaring war. Growing up, I heard my mom say countless times, “No matter what, you must go to school.” While my dad would say, "Education is a key given to you; use the key as you like."

I have heard many people say the phrase "School na scam," but these same people saying these words are in school and none of them are dropping out. Surprising, right?

Now, whether that was wisdom or fear of community embarrassment, I don’t know. But I do know this: in our house, if you used “was” where “were” was supposed to be, everyone would pause mid-sentence to look at you like you had just insulted the ancestors. And my little sister, who went to a Montessori school, would always be there to correct your English for you. I disliked her for this then, but it helped me improve myself.

But let's ask this question: does literacy really make someone better? Does knowing how to read, write, and quote dictionary definitions mean you're automatically a great human being? Because, honestly, I’ve met some “very educated” people who wouldn't borrow you salt or say sorry even if your leg broke in front of them. I have seen university students commit atrocities in the name of religion, and I think to myself, "They are meant to be educated and know better so what's wrong?"

Still, there's no denying the power of being literate, not just in the academic sense, but in the sense of understanding people, systems, rules, and how not to accidentally forward your boss a meme meant for your cousin. That one requires a different level of literacy entirely.

Let's talk about this topic in a broader and simpler way. I will be answering some questions to the best of my knowledge, so this is me welcoming you to my blog and I hope you learn something from me. Let's go.

So the question remains: does literacy help build better people, better families, and better neighbors? Or is it just one piece of a very big, complicated puzzle?

One thing about being learned is that you tend to understand things easily and on a deeper level. It makes being easily deceived not possible and that alone is a fact for a better person. The truth is that being literate has a huge advantage over being illiterate. There are things that other people wouldn't understand that a learned person would and provide a solution for. For a parent to train a child to be a literate person and love to help that child grow, the parent has to be a learned parent because they would have so much to help give to their child, and that can create a lasting memory for that child.

But does being learned automatically make you a good person? The answer is no. We are human and our nature can never be predicted. I would say for a fact that being learned makes a person a bit normal and would make them think things through before making any decision, unlike an unlearned person who would make decisions based on emotions and what they see. Meanwhile, looks can be deceiving.

In conclusion, being learned doesn't make a person a good person but I believe it does help people be less inclined to hurt their fellows or even make mistakes that will place everyone else at risk because they are open-minded and this is deeper than an uneducated person. Some people might not agree with me, but the one thing that has crumbled many nations is lack of knowledge, and how will you claim to be knowledgeable if you are not educated, learned, or literate? Think about this.

Thanks for reading. My name is Fashtioluwa.

Image used is mine