‘There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.’ – Joseph Brodsky
In this technology times when everything seems to be in the fast lane we have forgotten the importance of reading books, Reading is the basic foundation on which academic skills of an individual are built. Although a priceless activity, the importance of reading has been deteriorating rapidly in the recent times.
I remember as a teenage reading the famous five, Nancy drew, and Hardy boys which saw me write my own novel – I should have published it. At that time it was about being as creative as the authors of those books. It increased my confidence in writing.
Sadly, however, people nowadays seem to have totally lost interest in this activity. Children are too busy with their computer games and television, whereas adults are glued on to their computer screen, amassing the wealth of knowledge through Internet search engines. Reading does have its loyal fan following, but the fan base is rapidly decreasing.
What can one read? Religious books, encyclopedias, novels, dailies, magazines…the list is pretty long. Opportunities to read occur in various places i.e. home, waiting in a queue, for the meeting, sitting in the jam just to mention afew.
Books that I read recently include No matter what, The monk who sold his Ferrari, Think and grow rich, The Alchemist, Awaken the giant in you, smart women finish rich, The motivation manifesto, The charge, just to mention a few.
Reading a book is in itself an exercise to sharpen your creative thinking skills, whilst you broaden your horizons. It diversifies you way of thinking and looking at things in life. More importantly, good reading skills are directly related to good writing skills. A person who doesn’t read will always experience a scarcity of words when it comes to writing.
In this world of competitiveness, it’s always advantageous to amass vast knowledge, and there is no better way to do so, other than reading. So it’s high time you find a cure for bibliophobia – fear of books, especially thick books, and dive into the world of literature or whatever you like to read. What are you reading now? Start reading today.