Unselfish Writing

Recently, I was having a conversation with someone who told me that a teacher they knew had said that it was no longer important to learn to write grammatically since people no longer spoke that way. I found that to be an audacious statement, and it has remained in my mind for some time, tossing and turning in a mental mastication process.

I had known that his statement was not true, but I had not previously taken the time to understand upon what my belief was based. I just knew my own teachers would have cringed at such a declaration. After a few weeks now, I feel ready to explain my belief that it is indeed very important to learn to write grammatically. Writing grammatically is writing in a manner that conforms to the accepted rules of grammar. Another way of saying "writing grammatically" is “writing well.” There are several reasons for my belief in learning to write well, one of them being more important than the others.

One must never forget that there is a triangle of interconnected functioning in the brain. The ability to read well connects to the ability to think well which connects to the ability to write well. A weakness in any one of these areas creates a weakness in all of these areas. The strengths and weaknesses of each area influence the other two areas to the extent that not one of the three areas is the absolute first link in the group; that is why it is NOT a pyramid, but a triad. Much as a musical triad works when all of the notes are in balance {though one is prominent for the moment}, the mental triad also functions best when it is in balance while showcasing one element.

We see this concept demonstrated in our society. Children who cannot read well are unable to write well. It is no surprise that many schools no longer have students do much composition work; if the students cannot read well, trying to write is a futile effort. The need to add a writing test to the ACT and SAT is a result of the fact that fewer and fewer students entering college could write well enough to enter college. It had not been an issue in the past as all high school graduates were assumed to be able to write a standard composition or essay. Since this is no longer the case, the colleges demanded some proof of this skill, and the new composition exam was born. The weakness of this exam, by the way, is that it cannot be graded by a machine via darkened circles; rather, it must be graded by humans who may or may not have the ability to write well themselves. This is part of the reason that the writing portions of the exam are not yet “counted” in scholarship scores; the scores are not standardized enough due to the huge human component of the scoring process. However, colleges are willing to use the lowest writing scores as a way to eliminate the worst applicants and to use the other scores for probable placement in writing courses.

The triad of reading-thinking-writing is a necessary part of the ability to communicate with others. Having one or more weak links in that triad not only decreases one’s own abilities to communicate one’s thoughts with others and understand their thoughts, it also increases one’s vulnerability to deception.

Scripture is clear that, in the end times, people will be deceived by demagogues, political leaders “who gain(s) power by appealing to people's emotions, instincts, and prejudices in a way that is considered manipulative and dangerous.” Did we not see this in the election of 2008? Do we not see it often already, not just in politics but in all areas, from movies to theology? Sometimes, I feel as if we are watching the testing ground experiments to see how far and how fast people can be manipulated to think and to do things that are not good.

Studies show that a person’s ability to write is a mirror of his ability to read. As I have written in previous blogs, we must require our students to read increasingly difficult material in order to push their ability to its greatest height and thereby increase their ability to think well. Similarly, we must have them read the difficult material because it will increase their ability to write well. If we do not want to be limited to writing compositions and essays on the level of The Cat in the Hat, we must read books written at a higher level than The Cat in the Hat. {Please, no comments about how wonderfully deep The Cat in the Hat is; that would betray you more than you may think.} If you can read Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories with facility, your level of thinking will also increase, and a noticeable improvement will show in your writing.

Unfortunately, many students are no longer asked by their instructors to read difficult material. They cannot follow an argument that lasts more than 5 minutes because they have not been trained to follow an argument That lasts more than one chapter in a book. If you cannot follow an argument that is more than one page long, you cannot write a good argument that is more than one page long. Many issues we face require our leaders to propose arguments that are lengthy. The human mind is fully capable of doing this when trained to do so. The lack of this ability to follow longer arguments allows flashy speakers to sway these people to unheard of beliefs because they cannot see the consequences of those beliefs being "played out" to the full extent. They do not understand how to know where the dominoes will fall.

An emotional appeal to John leads John, who does not read anything except what is posted on facebook, to accept that A is true. B follows A, C follows B, D follows C, and E follows D. John says, “Well, I don’t want E to happen!” Sorry, John. E had to happen because you allowed A to happen, but you couldn’t think that far ahead because no one really wanted you to be able to do that, and so they did not teach you to read, write, or think well. They wanted you to stay in the easily led herd that followed their flashy smile and smooth voice.

One of the most important reasons to learn to write well is that it is a matter of love. One shows love, Scripture says, by how one treats another person. Writing is, as mentioned earlier, a form of communication to others. If I write well for their benefit, it allows me to show love to them. It allows me to show I am not so self-centered as to believe that the world will automatically understand what I am saying in my writing because I am their focus. It shows I do not believe that they will spend time trying to figure out how I am using a certain word or which word is referenced because I’ve misplaced a phrase or clause.

The truth of the matter is that I am not the focus of people’s thinking; it would be selfish to think I am. I have to assume that they will not understand unless I take the time and energy to explain well. I have to hope they will make the same assumption about me as well and fully explain themselves to me. Anything less in effort would be to assume my time is more valuable than theirs, that my thinking is so obviously true that they would fall on their knees before me to accept what I have to say, or that it does not matter to me that they understand because, in my omniscience, I will do what I want to do anyway. Poor writing is selfish and unloving. God demands better of His people than selfishness and unloving hearts.

Scripture also says that we are to do all things as if we are doing them for God Himself. Having spent even a brief time in the country of Thailand which has a monarch, I can tell you that those people did their work well because they saw it as a reflection of the quality of their monarch’s reign. I want to do my work in such a way that it reflects positively upon the quality of my God’s reign. He is a great God and deserves nothing less.

The amazing part is that, by study and practice, one CAN learn to read well, write well, and think well. All three require not only practice, but some assistance from either a mentor, a tutor, a teacher, or a book. Mathematics’ primary function for those of us not going into sciences or engineering fields is to teach us to think clearly. It truly comes back to reading, writing, and arithmetic. God is willing to help in all those aspects when a person’s heart is open to Him. Did you know that the King James Bible is now considered advanced college-level reading? Using a King James Bible will increase your ability to read and to write and to think. You may have to work to be comfortable with KJV, but that work is worth the effort.

How do you want to reflect upon the quality of your God’s reign? Study grammar, read difficult books, write grammatically, think clearly. Write unselfishly. All these things will tell the world that your God is a good and great God.

{Watch for the announcment of our next Webinar on Composition Writing that will take place in February. Open to NCCS families for free, and for cost to non-NCCS families.)

December Blog Winner

December Blog winner
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