Just thinking back what the word literate has to signify – the ability to read and write as was taught in our pre-nursery classes or something. Just ponder over and try to analyse this definition.
Okay, I seem to eating off your head so lets start from scratch. READ and WRITE but what? Seems so trivial a question but beneath lies the precise point I am trying to make here. Read and write a language like English – few may answer. Think again !!!
Are you above trying to say I am illiterate in say, German. How dare you call me illiterate man, I am b****y 23 and almost half MBA !!! But yes the definition makes me illiterate.
What about the so called illiterate population, say the tribals. Can you read and write their language, forget read and write, can you even claim to understand all their gestures. Going again by the definition from their perspective even we people are illiterate and they and more knowledgeable than us – YES coz they can read and write their language.
Go more deep. There are so many signs, symbols, signals used in nature to each convey some meaning. Am I in a position to decipher even a percent of it. the answer is plain NO. How can I than claim myself to be literate and consider this as something good.
What am I still trying to say ?
Just that if we break the bounds of man made superiorities and go beneath nothing in this world can be considered inferior. It all depends on the perspective and the situation we are in. If I land up in some jungles of SA, I would be an illiterate their and I have to learn and understand their language, their customs, their behaviour.
Some may argue that their are people who know not even a single language whatsoever are they also not illiterate, I say YES. They are supposedly more genius then others that they do not need a tool like words to express themselves. Coz at the end of the day
NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE EXPRESSED IN WORDS.
