【推荐1】We visited Rome for the first time a few years ago, and my memories aren't ones of buildings, statues, or even the food. It's the selfie-sticks—being sold on every street corner. and being put to use everywhere we went. People were photographing themselves often without bothering to look at all the beauty behind them.

Occasionally I joined in myself, taking pictures as souvenirs of my trip to share with others. But I also made an effort to look around, and to record with my memory—because I know just how important that is.

When we take pictures, we may improve our chances of remembering the facts, but we don't see the “big picture”. And by not stretching our recall muscles regularly, we don't strengthen particular memories. That's especially true if we're always photographing ourselves. Posed, static selfies reveal little about what's happening around us, or how we were really feeling at the time.

Get into the habit of capturing experiences with your mind. Consciously take in everything around you. Use all your senses, not just your eyes. Be aware of your thoughts and feelings, too. Later, you can use the pictures on your camera to kick-start your recall. But you can also add all those extra layers of detail back in, to relive the moment in its full glory.

It's a great habit to get into. You'll experience more because you' re not fussing with your phone. You'll create more durable memories by returning to them again and again. You'll also be exercising your brain, which is the best way to keep it working well for everything. And in the process, I bet you'll discover that your memory is by far the most interesting lens through which to look back at your past.

【推荐2】My parents both left school at 14. They could read and write, but except for a quick look at the daily newspaper, reading and writing didn't play a big part in their lives. There were very few books in the house. When I was only 14 years old my father gave me an important letter that he'd written to the bank and asked me to check it for grammar and spelling mistakes. And there were quite a lot. He never wrote letters or postcards or even Christmas cards. So when he had to write he wasn't comfortable or confident. Does that mean that my father had a ‘low level of literacy (读写能力)’? I don't think so.

There are lots of different definitions (定义) of literacy. Some experts define it as having the reading and writing skills that you need to be independent in your everyday life. So, for example, if you can read instructions, write a cheque, fill in a form — anything that you need to do in everyday life — then you are ‘functionally literate’.

If you live in a society where most people are literate then you will feel ashamed and avoid situations in which you have to read or write. A friend's father finally admitted to his family that he couldn't read when he was 45 years old. He had bought the newspaper every day and pretended to read it.

Being illiterate can have a big effect on people's lives. Worldwide statistics show that literacy problems are associated with poverty and a lack of political power. More women than men are illiterate. Illiterate people have worse health, bigger families and are more likely to go to prison. So literacy campaigns must be a good thing. But don't forget that an illiterate person, or someone with a low level of literacy, isn't necessarily stupid or ignorant (无知的) — and may not be unhappy at all. Knowledge and wisdom isn't only found in writing.