STORYMOJA

“Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man” is a quote attributed to Francis Bacon. The first time I read this quote, I was torn. I so wanted to be the one defined exactly but had never even thought of writing. That cut me off and I reluctantly accepted that I was not an exact man. The onus was therefore on me to prove that I was a ready man because the way that the quote reads meant that successively, the subsequent is better than the former. I unanimously agreed that I was a ready man but since I was the judge and jury, it did not count.

But later on, when I started writing and could consider myself an exact man, I was smart enough to realize that I had gone about the whole thing the wrong way. When you take away the argument about which of full, ready, or exact is better, the essence of it all engulfs you. My previous internal dialectics focused solely on the titles. But when I grew up a bit, I realized that I should have been focusing on the reading, conference and writing parts of the quote.

The quote begins with reading. Everything begins with reading. Reading is the ingestion of knowledge, and which provides us with lessons from those who know better than us. Reading is the only map we have that directs us around the mine fields that fell those who travelled before us. There can be no meaningful conference when its participants are not well read. For me, any conference that comprises people who do not read is a gathering of fools who can only discuss one thing; ignorance. Conference can only come after reading because conferencing is the exchange of ideas, a consultation of minds, and the comparison of opinions; none of which we could have were it not for reading.

Writing came last after both reading and conference because it is only natural that we give our own lessons and experiences to those who will come after us. But more than that, writing comes after reading and conference because these two serve to prepare us enough to develop opinions. Through reading, we gain insight; through conference we discuss, debate, share and develop foresight with the benefit of hindsight. It is only when we are better read, and while or after we experience something can we gain the confidence to write.

It is henceforth only possible that economic development will come after reading, developed further through conference and advanced through writing. In a rapidly modernizing world, the only way to survive is through changing with the world and whether you like it or not, the book that you read even three years ago is probably no longer relevant in today’s environment. It is a new world order where the competitive edge has become information based; where those with the greatest access and who actually read get ahead. Economic development is therefore not only dependent on reading, it is heavily contingent on consistent and continuous reading for that is the only difference that will make the difference at this day and age.

I wrote an essay a while back based on my own understanding of the issue. But later on, after researching on the topic and consulting with friends, colleagues and even strangers, I wrote the following: “Their perceptions generated so much insight which served to show how conservative and limiting my own thoughts were. This automatically necessitated my change in approach.”

© Marvin Tumbo 2009

Marvin has won the chance to be a guest judge on the Storymoja Hay Festival Story of the Month with this article. He gets tickets to the Festival. Thank you to all of you who sent in your articles on time. If you would like a chance to win another pair of tickets, please enter your story into the Story of the Week every Thursday of the month of July. Just send it to blogs[a]storymojaafrica.co.ke. The story that is voted  by you readers as Story of the Week will get a chance to compete for the Story of the Month and win Tickets to the Festival. The Storymoja Judges along with the Guest judges will decide which story wins the Story of the Month. Please go here for details about the festival.