Literacy Is Not a License to Goodness

From what I know, literacy is not a guarantee that someone will be nice or kind. We still have a bunch of educated people in our society who are so cruel, yet they are literate. Literacy keeps us informed. The fact that we can read and write and have access to knowledge is an advantage for us to make wise decisions and live peacefully with people, but it doesn't automatically make us a better person. It all depends on the choice we make in life.

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For this prompt, I would love to approach the questions one after another with practical examples for better clarity of my view on that.

Does literacy help make a better person?

I think I already gave a hint on this. If you like, carry literacy like hot akara on your head; it's not a visa to being a better human. Yes, you have the ability to be creative, access knowledge, and be aware of what is good or bad, but do you apply what you know practically?.

Take, for instance, my friend's husband, who is a PhD holder, and despite the wealth of knowledge he has been exposed to in life, he still engages in domestic violence, torturing his wife anyhow he chooses. Obviously, he chooses to neglect what he knows about domestic violence and how unhealthy and dangerous it can be but displays his natural character.

Does it make for better parents and better neighbours?

Hmmmm, I will say that to some extent it does. I am a literate parent, and the knowledge I have access to helps me to handle my parenting journey better because I am informed. I have taken my time to study about child development, and at each stage in my kids lives, I try to apply what I know, and that makes a difference. I understand the importance of immunization to their health, and missing each dose feels like I committed a sin, lol, and so I strive to do the needful. That's the power of being literate; it might not be the same for someone who is NOT literate because he or she may not have similar knowledge that I have.

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In the case of a literate neighbor, it can also help us communicate better and be on the same page for things that concern us in our community. But think of a literate neighbor who doesn't care about how others feel or show respect to another but oppresses others with their bad character. Sometimes, it's not about how literate we are but what we allow to control us. People still know what is right or wrong but choose the latter regardless of how literate they are.

Does being learned mean people will be less inclined to hurt their fellows or even make mistakes that will place everyone else at risk?

We know better because we are educated, but our human nature will always have its way. If we allow what we learn to control our behavior, then we can make a better society because subjecting a fellow being to pain will be reduced, but that's not always the case. A lot of educated people defraud others, using their literacy to cause harm to others. The other day I boarded public transport. The driver took a one-way drive, driving carelessly without any care to obey driving rules. If we die or not, that's not his concern—no empathy, nothing. Yet he told us that he is well educated.

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In summary, it's great to be literate due to how beneficial it can be to anyone, but being good is a choice and not affected by how literate a person is.

This is my response to the #hivelearners contest on the topic titled, Literacy.

Images were taken from canva