This will be the last message I will be writing as your President. As most closing messages are written, there is a litany of accomplishments and best wishes passed on to the incoming officers. I certainly wish the new HIWA officers the very best in continuing the effort to further opportunities for writing and learning about writing on the Big Island, but I shall not bore you with all the events of the past two years under my term of office. What I would like to do is thank all the Board members and members who so generously gave their time, talent and energy to offer a variety of writing experiences to our members and to the Island public.
I would also like to share with you some of my concern that we continue to foster the art of writing, and in tandem the art of reading. Both in my reading and in my travels this year, what has emerged as a major concern for me, is the strides in education and talent that is emerging all over the world. Students in Asian and Eastern European countries are far outstripping American students in academic achievements and while American Universities are still the best in the world regarding research and training, more and more of the slots in these schools are being filled with students from other countries who are coming into the higher education system better educated, better organized and more well read.
Certainly, even in a foreign language, their communication skills often
exceed those of our American students.
While I believe that progress anywhere in the world is advantageous for
the entire world, it is discouraging to often see the illiteracy of American
students regarding current events, literature, or any exposure to great
thinkers. How do we generate the excitement of the written word, the possibility
of exploration of ideas, the potential that could be, if these things
can only be "sold" with fast action videos and TV ads?
I believe that organizations such as HIWA, as small as we are, can have an impact on furthering the challenge of using our minds, by being exposed to writing and reading that are not always part of the mainstream. This is our challenge, whether as an organization, or as individuals. How do we, who understand the value of communicating clearly through the written word, use our talents and knowledge to stimulate those about us and especially our young people so they to can participate in the world that is to come.
With Aloha to all of you for often stimulating my thinking.
Carrie Blankfield
