The importance of reading

The importance of reading

Reading is an exercise for your brain. Nowadays, people are quickly losing the habit of reading because our attention spans are getting shorter; we’re easily distracted, and there are so many things to distract us! Although, if we stop reading, we stop learning, and we stop growing as a person. Even the most practical-minded person will, at some point, have to sit down and read something to gain the kind of knowledge they need to grow.

Developing and maintaining a reading habit is something that is guaranteed to take you far in life. Once you enter college, you’ll have to read a lot of theory to put things into practice; for university students, having to read around 50 to 100 pages every week is a norm. Academic papers, books, references, all of these things are going to have to become a part of your life if you want to excel. Hence, being able to read as a habit is essential. Here are some more reasons why developing a reading habit is crucial:

Every time you read a good book, it gives you different perspectives on your past experiences. You start to look at life differently, and your mind starts to think productively. Elon Musk, one of the most successful individuals of our time, states, “It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree — make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e., the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.”

Books are food for conversation. When you read books, you absorb knowledge, stories, and experiences, which will help you transform into an empathetic person and learn to put yourself into someone else’s shoes. You’re able to reflect on other’s experiences and opinions. If you read, regardless of what it is, you teach yourself to become a better communicator.

When you are reading a book, you’re reading someone’s thoughts. Even if it’s fiction or non-fiction, you are part of a conversation between yourself, the author, and the world they’ve created for you to enter and enjoy. You could be sitting in a dark, dingy apartment in humid weather and find yourself in a bright, fantastical world with fairies, seas, and talking trees.

Some of us read to learn; some of us read to escape. If a book is exciting and engaging, you get sucked into it. It has the same effect on our minds as meditation, a good cup of tea or a relaxing activity where you’re just one with yourself. Reading slows down your heartbeat because you have to concentrate on getting yourself into it. Additionally, reading things that interest you also helps you to retain that information, regardless of whether it’s useful to you or not. If you still remember a scene from a book you read six years ago, that’s enough proof that it was a good book!