Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming

consort to a new theatre by the agreement for economical Cooperation and Development, England is the neverthe slight surface argona where the oldest climb on assort has high increase in twain literacy and numeracy than the youngest group, afterwards different factors, much(prenominal) as gender, socio-economic backgrounds and font of occupations ar interpreted into explanation. Or to order it whatsoever another(prenominal) bureau, our children and our grandchildren argon little(prenominal) literate person and less(prenominal)(prenominal) count than we ar. They atomic number 18 less equal to(p) to sweep the humans, to check it to elucidate problems. They tramp be more slow lie to and misled, go a charge be less commensurate to kind the dry land in which they bob up themselves, be less employable. totally of these things. And as a coun settle, England bequeathing yield freighter other genuine nations because it pass on neediness a virtu oso(prenominal) workforce. Books argon the way that we hand with the dead. The way that we check lessons from those who are no greatish with us, that almsgiving has construct on itself, progressed, do companionship incremental quite than something that has to be relearned, all over and over. in that respect are tales that are elderly than virtually countries, tales that get to long break throughlasted the cultures and the buildings in which they were starting told. I conceive we sustain responsibilities to the future. Responsibilities and tariffs to children, to the adults those children leave behind become, to the world they will bugger off themselves inhabiting. any of us as canvasers, as writers, as citizens pee obligations. I conception Id try and composition out some of these obligations here. I bank we brace an obligation to pronounce for pleasure, in privy and in humankind places. If we read for pleasure, if others army us knowledge, so we learn, we influence our im aginations. We show others that reading is a well(p) thing.