THE BOOK GRAVEYARD
On the busy walkway with my ten fingers locked like a closed zip;Placed behind my head, i stand with a face really rumpled because I just realized I forgot to pick up my book i dropped on the dashboard of a taxi i boarded...and i'd gotten off the taxi almost 5 minutes ago GUSH! 'what was i thinking?' I scream silently in my head.
I've spent exactly 2 decades on earth, and most of that time had been spent flipping pages. 99% of my birthday presents have been books, the mental pictures i have of my childhood are; old magazines, newspapers, Lots and lots of newspapers, spiritual magazines, and books lying on the floor in the living room.
Today is International Children's book day, and later in April we'd be celebrating World Book Day. But has'nt most of the world turned to a graveyard for books?--Buried knowledge decaying in peace--Many people see reading as a pass time. Something you do when you're bored or Idle.
Even worse, some people see it as an activity reserved for some unfashionable geeks with correction lenses. And this philosophy is usually imposed on kids. That's why they'd prefer sitting 24/7 in front of that talking box with moving pictures rather than concentrating on a book in the library for just 30 minutes.
If you love a kid, teach that kid to read or read a book to him/her daily. Because, these days reading has been reduced to an academic exercise--Something only students do--parents hardly buy books for their kids, instead they buy toy guns( i'm not saying toys are bad, but lets find a balance) kids are taught that the book belongs in the backpack(school bag), and they only bring it out when they have a homework.
Its even worse in Africa; most kids here only grow up interested in the latest fashion trend. And when i think again about that book on the dashboard. I can bet you that if i'm really serious about getting it back, I can go to the motor Park this evening, check the cars one by one and i'm sure i'd see it there on that dashboard just the way i kept it. But do you think that'd be possible if it was a smart phone or a bundle of naira notes? That shows our attitude towards books. . . and kids.
#Wikina Ebenezar
**Photo Credit>>Beautiful Engineering
On the busy walkway with my ten fingers locked like a closed zip;Placed behind my head, i stand with a face really rumpled because I just realized I forgot to pick up my book i dropped on the dashboard of a taxi i boarded...and i'd gotten off the taxi almost 5 minutes ago GUSH! 'what was i thinking?' I scream silently in my head.
I've spent exactly 2 decades on earth, and most of that time had been spent flipping pages. 99% of my birthday presents have been books, the mental pictures i have of my childhood are; old magazines, newspapers, Lots and lots of newspapers, spiritual magazines, and books lying on the floor in the living room.
Today is International Children's book day, and later in April we'd be celebrating World Book Day. But has'nt most of the world turned to a graveyard for books?--Buried knowledge decaying in peace--Many people see reading as a pass time. Something you do when you're bored or Idle.
Even worse, some people see it as an activity reserved for some unfashionable geeks with correction lenses. And this philosophy is usually imposed on kids. That's why they'd prefer sitting 24/7 in front of that talking box with moving pictures rather than concentrating on a book in the library for just 30 minutes.
If you love a kid, teach that kid to read or read a book to him/her daily. Because, these days reading has been reduced to an academic exercise--Something only students do--parents hardly buy books for their kids, instead they buy toy guns( i'm not saying toys are bad, but lets find a balance) kids are taught that the book belongs in the backpack(school bag), and they only bring it out when they have a homework.
Its even worse in Africa; most kids here only grow up interested in the latest fashion trend. And when i think again about that book on the dashboard. I can bet you that if i'm really serious about getting it back, I can go to the motor Park this evening, check the cars one by one and i'm sure i'd see it there on that dashboard just the way i kept it. But do you think that'd be possible if it was a smart phone or a bundle of naira notes? That shows our attitude towards books. . . and kids.
#Wikina Ebenezar
**Photo Credit>>Beautiful Engineering
No comments:
Post a Comment