3. TIL an estimated 1 in 4 Alabamans are functionally illiterate, meaning they're u...

TIL an estimated 1 in 4 Alabamans are functionally illiterate, meaning they're unable to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level

Compairing how I am now with reading and my highschool grad self I would concider myself to have been illiterate.

I though reading was hard and boring. I saw no point if I could listen or watch it faster than I could read it. I found myself rereading sentences over and over because I was too distracted or not retaining what I just read because I didn't care. It didn't help that I had no interest in what we had to read in highschool.

I was this way until I graduated college actually. I got better and fast at reading in college due to assignments but I still hated it. I had not read any books for fun and still saw no point.

It wasn't until I read harry potter one day for shits and giggles that I somehow discovered the magic of reading (no pun intended). Now I read all the time for fun, I actually read all the directions in manuals, and I visit the library regularly. After I discovered the rich fertile knowledge of books that the internet could just not compete with, books and reading became priority.

Not sure exactly when I started to hate books and reading, but I guess I had to discover why it is important on my own instead of someone trying to cram it down my throat.

/r/todayilearned Thread Parent Link - uab.edu
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