Writing to think

Yowsa. I read a recent article in the Atlantic speaking to the falling literacy rates in the United states. The crux of it was that it's not only changing how we consume information and our attention spans; it's also affecting out ability to form deep thoughts and comprehend complex concepts. 

At one point they mention that writing is also an important part of crafting your thoughts, as you need to look back and inspect your arguments or even just your basic statements. When we live in a short video/tweet based societal discourse our own ideas must become simplified to be heard and understood.

 Obviously this is a problem for leadership among private companies and government but also within our own homes. I worry about how dysfunctional I would become without being able to comprehend deep thoughts or create concepts with detail and themes. Would I even notice? What safeguards can I put in place to preserve my own literacy and that of my children (once they learn to read)?  It is a common trope that the great masses of humanity are just mindless zombies following cues, at some point I am worried that I may be becoming one myself. 

It has been suggested several times over the years to journal for the sake of remembering but also for emotional processing. Maybe this can be where I do that.