<ParaStyle:Normal> Sometimes it can be easy to get in a pattern, in a zone. Whether it’s at work, school, the gym or church, sometimes we stop thinking and just continue going through the motions.

Since switching to my new position, I have been chastised by several readers for suspending my column. Before, I had gotten into a routine that included my column. Then, I got into a routine that didn’t include it.

The thing about routines is that there’s always something that snaps us out of it. For me, it was last Sunday’s homily. It focused on the story of the talents. The master gives one servant five talents, another two and a third one.

When the master returned, the first had ten talents and the second had four. The third only had the one given to him. The first two had done the right thing. They had shared their talents and reaped the many rewards. The third had stifled his gifts.

Of course, in a literal sense, a talent was a measure of money. However, today a talent has taken on a more expansive meaning. We all know the metaphor that has since developed in which talent becomes a symbol of God-given skills.

It would be hard to grow up in the South and not have heard that story at least once. More likely, it’s a story heard fairly frequently. Yet how many of us are guilty of burying our talents.

Among my talents, writing stands out. It may not be my best talent, but it’s what I’m most passionate about. Writing can be therapeutic. Writing can be voyeuristic. Writing can let you play out those what if moments. Writing can give a moment in someone else’s shoes.

Writing can be anything.

I suppose all those qualities are found in getting lost in a book, a show, anything with a story. Every now and then, you come across that book that becomes a part of you.

That’s the power of words. And words are the greatest source of power we have. Reading can teach you most anything. Writing and speaking can share ideas and philosophies. They can bring us together or tear us a part.

Unfortunately, literacy has not always been as widespread as it is today. For a long time, only clergy knew how to read. It spread to the elite and slowly into the middle class as the printing press was invented. Now, education is free-flowing, and everyone is literate, right?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 16 percent of adults in Mississippi were lacking basic literacy skills in 2003. That comes out to about 1 in 6 people.

The problem is that without literacy, you face many problems. Can you imagine graduating high school without being able to read? Overcrowded, overstressed teachers could be part of the problem. An underfunded educational system may be another reason. Hopefully, the Literary Based Promotion Act can help battle this problem. However, it won’t be enough. The old saying goes that it takes a community to raise a child. We need to come together to ensure that our future generations are not plagued with illiteracy. Literacy is the foundation of education. Education, no matter whether it’s trade school, professional school or anything in between, is the key to success.

As Walter Cronkite said, “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

If we want everyone to contribute, we need to be sure they have the tools to be productive. And everyone deserves the chance to pursue their passion and talents. It is a burden everyone shares.

As the saying goes: “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for the rest of his life.”

It’s time we started doing a little more teaching.

Julia V. Pendley is the lifestyles editor of The Daily Leader. You may email her at julia.pendley@dailyleader.com or mail a letter to her at Julia V. Pendley, Lifestyles Editor, P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602-0551.