The twentieth century has been identified as the age of information. Today, at the beginning of the next century, information remains abundant, the ways to obtain it are dozens and the access to it is easier than ever. However, there is still a more-than-seven-digits number of illiterate people. Illiterate people, i.e. people who do not know the fundamental elements of literacy (as in writing, reading, arithmetic) may be found mainly in underdeveloped countries, but there are quite often found in developed ones too – although significantly less in number. Illiteracy continues to be a major problem -in the year 2022- both on an individual and social level.
On an individual level, the illiterate individual is immersed in the darkness of ignorance. Being in this situation, there are two very important dangers for him: manipulation and dependence. These dangers are everywhere around him: in the professional field, in his personal relationships, in moral values. There are various examples. Because of his difficulty in finding work, the illiterate person is often a victim of exploitation by employers and conditions. On a personal level, not knowing how to orient oneself, ends up relying on preconceived ideas and judgments, while forming or perpetuating prejudices and superstitions. More often than not, the absence of “light” – knowledge – causes him fear and insecurity, since he is unable to communicate with others, to externalize his thoughts, his inner world. He is thus possessed by a feeling of inferiority which gradually leads to his isolation. The result? The difficulty in his integration into society.
This phenomenon also has an impact on a social level, with various extentions. To begin with, the illiterate ones are often underutilized as a workforce to advance the national economy, leaving their inclinations and skills unexploited. In the political scene of the respective country, the illiterate person does not participate in the public sphere or in the handling of democratic processes, while he often does not understand his individual, social and political rights. Going one step further, on a global scale, the division of peoples into developed and underdeveloped is prolonged and the gap between them is getting wider – on the one hand, there are these who have succeeded in reducing the number of illiterates, and on the other, there are those whose number is uncontrollable. Therefore, in the place of fruitful contact between peoples, that help enriching their cultures, countries with a large number of illiterate people are “lost” to others, as a result of which they cannot preserve their cultural identity, in which case they become alienated.
Illiteracy is undoubtedly one of the most important problems of the twenty-first century. It may not be as obvious or as much discussed as climate change, the pandemic or the exploitation of natural resources, but it remains a phenomenon that has an impact on the real cultural development of a nation and its people. We don’t need to turn our heads to another country, continent or part of the globe to locate them. There are many illiterate ones living among us; they may be our grandparent, a former classmate who had to drop out of school to earn a living, our neighbor who grew up in an inaccessible area, a refugee or an immigrant. It is our duty as a society to find the means to ensure that the phenomenon of illiteracy remains in the past, where it truly belongs.
