Today has been dedicated to setting living intentions for 2013. After eating breakfast with two friends and Adam, I napped, worked out, listened to good music and prepped dinner for my family. In this fleeting moment alone, I'm sitting down with my blog.
2012 was a devastating and beautiful year. Some major events include finishing my undergraduate degree, loving and being loved more than I thought possible, traveling in Europe for the first time, working an office job and discovering writing is essential to happiness. This year also brought many new connections through social media and a resurgence in my belief that it can -- I can -- be an agent of change.
In 2013, I plan to devote time and resources to organizations working toward eliminating illiteracy and domestic violence education (more on the latter in a later post). As a lifelong nerd, I was recently struck by an article on e-books I heard on NPR. In it, a publishing industry consultant states that "when everybody has broadband and a device, everybody has access to more reading material than any library has ever offered for free. [We] can see a day when libraries won't be funded to keep the building open." That quote stuck with me, and I've kept mulling over the consequences of such a shift.
When the availability of a library's offerings becomes tied to an e-book reader, it is only actually available to those who can afford to buy one. In the long run, switching over to this system only cuts underprivileged kids off from the escape and learning opportunities that reading provides. Making literacy and self-education proprietary is a terrifying possibility, and I will work to ensure that this change does not happen. If you are interested in getting involved, Carla Jean Whitley gives some great ideas here.