Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.

It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?

Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.

Parents should be encouraged to read to their children, and teachers should be equipped with all available techniques for teaching literacy, so the varying needs and capacities of individual kids can be taken into account.

Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills.

Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and informed, and in which they can communicate effectively, without having to master any but the most rudimentary literacy skills?