Taking Writing Skills for Granted

I was listening to the radio the other day, and they were having callers phone in to guess the most popular reported phobia. Of course, many wrong answers came first: speaking in public, confined spaces, spiders, snakes, heights, dying… all incorrect. What it turned out to be was nomophobia; the fear of being without your mobile phone. This should not be too shocking for all of us, as we see this every day. Simply walking through the halls of campus, you will pass countless individuals completely focused into their phones. 

Being raised in a generation where technology is in abundance, we are constantly messaging, emailing, blogging and texting one another. But do any of those writings hold any value? It is true to say we are more literate today than the past, but it seems we are getting dumber. If you need proof of that, try checking out twitter/facebook/youtube comments.

So how is it possible that a generation of technology junkies can even begin to understand Helen Keller’s experiences? To be realistic, we can’t.

As I was reading Helen Keller’s Story of My Life, I was shocked at the struggles she faced. However, what really blew me away was her optimism about life. She never allowed her disabilities to pose a barrier between herself and her goals. Helen moved herself forward in life no matter what obstacles were in her way. If it took her a bit longer than everyone else to learn language, so be it. She kept her spirits high, and went on to finish university and even write a legendary auto-biography. She was self-motivated, and accomplished everything she wanted to do, just at her own speed. And although at times she fell behind other students her age, she did not let that drag her down.

In today’s world, it seems everyone has all the means and abilities to change the world, yet no ambition to do so. It’s surprising to look back at Helen Keller’s life experiences, and how difficult everything was for her. Yet somehow she kept her passion for writing alive through it all. It really makes you think about how fortunate we are as a society to have all the luxuries we do. It’s a shame however, that these wind up making us lazy and unappreciative of them.  Helen Keller became a famous writer against all odds, yet most of us are given a clear advantage into writing, and we ignore it.