"One of the most important things you can do in this life is show people that they are not alone in this world."
It came up on Instagram on one of these content sites I follow. The quote was by Shannon L. Alder. I liked it, so I continued my research and learned that she is a contemporary American author, known for her short, reflective essays and quotes about life, empathy, and human relationships. I took a look at some of her writing; she doesn't seem to come from an audience of classical literature, but rather as an observer of human relationships, who then summarizes them in essential sentences. With a simple and direct style, she addresses themes of personal growth and awareness. Of course, she had many, many followers.
But how can we do this? What is one way to tell people this (read especially to children who are not alone in this world)?
Unquestionably, in my complete conviction, there is no better way to not feel alone in the big world than reading. Not following someone else's life, trying to imitate it in style and form, no. That way you will increasingly find yourself moving away from the other. Knowledge will be completely superficial and, consequently, worthless. Reading saves us from loneliness. We don't need a lot of followers on social networks to not feel alone. We need content, meaning, thinking similar to the other. I'm not saying this. I'm just supporting what smart people have said over the years and that time has proven to be right. Books are proof that someone else, somewhere, has thought, felt, been afraid, felt lost or inadequate just like us. And this creates a silent but very strong connection: the feeling that our experiences are not isolated.
This, for example, was clearly stated by CS Lewis, one of the most influential thinkers and writers of the 20th century. He was a professor of literature at Oxford and Cambridge, an essayist, literary critic, and author of works that combine imagination with philosophical reflection. Widely known for the series "The Chronicles of Narnia", Lewis saw literature not as an escape from reality, but as a way to understand it more deeply. His books written after World War II were made into super successful films in the 2000s. People were united by his imagination even after more than 50 years. Well, he said: “We read to know we are not alone.” We read to understand that we are not alone.
Reading requires concentration. And that's why it's so important. It teaches you to stop, to think, to connect feelings with words. To understand yourself through others. Books and stories, in various forms, create human connections and give meaning to shared experiences.
Now all of this, in the often futile noise of fast-paced information and the declining interest of young people in books, may sound a little old-fashioned or even impossible. But technology can help us introduce these things to our children.
Let me explain in a little more detail:
I, first of all, think about the young people themselves; I'm tired of hearing about all the evils that technology brings us in the world of communication. I think we've observed enough, been scared, judged and prejudiced; now it's time to act. And no, I don't believe that we will win the "war" with the harms that technology brings by completely removing it from young people. Children up to 12, 14 or 16 years old are another matter. But of course we can't take away cell phones, laptops, screens in general from young people. First, we must want our children to continue reading. This is the only way to become informed, the best way to have intellectual power, or even as a form that makes them feel not only by facing appearance or possessions, but similar in the way they think and feel.
Second: what we need to do, in my opinion, is to start creating content. Social networks are not necessarily the enemy of reading. There we can guide our children to find “little gems”: quotes, fragments, ideas that arouse curiosity and lead them towards the book. Not a replacement for reading, but an introduction to it. We need to follow successful examples in the world where conversations about books, clubs in schools, competitions among peers are oriented from within.
And third: we adults must understand that what is a value does not necessarily have to be old, ours. We must guide our children to recognize, produce, spread and display their values. A prerequisite for this is that we adults continue to read ourselves, more, with better quality, more timely, so that we the first do not feel alone in our efforts for good parenting.
But about this...we will talk a little longer in the next article, next Saturday. I look forward to seeing you at @TiranaPost, as I have for a year now, at #simpletruths. Thank you!
