Reading books is important, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.
Reading introduces us to new ideas and ways of thinking. Reading teaches us narratives and provides entertainment. Reading shows us how people think. Digital media wants us to see the world in black or white, but reading gives the world more colour.
Reading is a great habit that will help you build knowledge and become a more interesting person. And being an interesting person will also help you live a meaningful life.
Let’s talk about why reading is so important.
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Most Can But Many Choose Not To
I couldn’t read until I was 13 years old due to what would later be diagnosed as a learning disability. For that reason, I’m sympathetic to the possibility that there are people who can’t read. But although these people exist who can’t read, they are a small minority rather than the majority.
I have a friend who used to tell me that he couldn’t read books. But when we talk about it, he admitted that he was just a slower reader. But even though he was a slow reader, that wasn’t why he wasn’t reading; instead, he would rather watch YouTube than read a book.
His excuse had nothing to do with reading; it had to do with priorities.
There has been an update on this friend; he recently discovered that he had a problem with his eyes. He got glasses and has been obsessively reading ever since.
This story’s point is that reading is difficult and time-consuming, making it essential. Generally, we are discouraged from doing difficult things, but the difficulty is what gives things value.
Reading can be difficult, but it will help you learn about hard work and getting through challenges.
Besides, it shows you how to give attention to things that you usually wouldn’t. If you wonder why reading books is important, think of it as a challenge that makes you stronger and better at doing difficult things.
Reading Different Mediums Gives Different Results
With all the technologies available like eReaders and PDF’s on your cell phone, you have access to all the world’s information. While you have all this access, your time might also be limited, which means you may need to take advantage of different ways of consuming books.
Audiobooks are great for passive consumption.
You can do almost anything while listening to an audiobook. eReaders are a game-changer; because they let you carry more books than ever before.
When I think of ‘reading books’, I think of reading physical books that you can hold in your hands. Physical books are superior technology as they don’t require electricity or internet access. They also don’t need a significant financial investment, as they can often be bought used for pennies on the dollar. On top of this, it is easy to lend a physical book, not so much with a digital one.
Enjoying a book with a nice cup of coffee is a great way to spend an afternoon and dive into insights.
The best things about real books are that you can hold them, smell them, flip through the pages, and see your progress.
Another important thing about reading is that it requires very little technology. Now, this might seem counter intuitive, but it’s part of why reading books is important. When you read, you are freeing yourself from technology and dealing with something physical.
On top of all this, books teach you about things that you might otherwise know nothing about. Books being long need deep dives and dedicated attention.
Focus is challenging to get on the internet.
So it might be helpful to see a book as a portal into more in-depth thinking and more well thought out ideas.
Why Reading Books Is Important? Because You Choose Your Adventure
I prefer award-winning books and obscure classics. You could say the masses generally ignore these books. Yet these books tend to find me, rather than the other way around.
One of the best books I’ve ever read was Season of Migration to the North
by the Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih. I discovered this book by chance while riding home on the train. Someone else was reading it, and the cover looked interesting. Reading the Wikipedia article on my phone made it sound like a great read, so I ordered it as soon as I got home. At the time, it was only available on Amazon, as its obscurity meant my local bookstores didn’t carry it.
Reading books is important because it allows us to explore ideas that would not be accessible otherwise.
In my life, I would never run into someone from Sudan who experience colonialism. But with a book, I have access to those experiences and ideas. Books help us learn about the world in ways that would not be possible otherwise.
The best reason to read a book is to get exposure to other cultures and ways of life. Much of what we consume online is framed by our own culture; reading translated texts from other countries helps us bypass our cultural bias.
Fiction Is More Important Than You Think
Once you get into reading, you will get a sense of the kinds of books you like. With some time dedicated to reading, you will start discovering books you’d never imagined existed. In truth, opening your mind to reading brings all sorts of books your way. Often, the books that come to you are better than the books you would choose if given a choice.
Fiction is the best medium for convincing us of new ideas. With novels, we aren’t as critical about what we are reading, or we are more relaxed. But this means we accept the ideas in the books more easily. Fiction is excellent at showing us different ways of living.
We gain knowledge without having to fit it into our factual and rational way of seeing the world.
On top of this, fiction helps us learn about the world and the different people in it. A book may not appear to be about the author or their culture. But, a book, even science fiction, represents the people and culture of the time it was written. Reading books is important because books are time capsules that don’t need to be dug out of the ground.
The narrative is also an essential factor in fiction. Storytelling has been with humanity for as long as we have been able to speak, so it is part of our nature. Reading books teaches us differently, as they engage us deeply without our realization.
Narrative is what separates a fantastic story from plainly stated facts.
Reading is important because the narrative makes us human, and reading books is the best way to get that narrative. In a lot of ways, modern life has changed the way we consume stories.
Arguably, this means reading is more important than ever before because we do so much less of it these days.
Finishing Books Motivates You To Read More
Short stories are great, as they take less time to read and get to the point quicker. They also tend to be more engaging, as their brevity makes finishing them more achievable. You can also get through a bunch of short stories faster than a longer novel. This means you will gain momentum and want to move on to something new afterwards.
Getting through books quicker helps you get through more books in total. In a way, the motivation you get from completing a book in a short period is often enough to get you to read another. For this reason, short stories are great because they are clear, concise, and easier to read.
Reading is important because when you finish a book, you get a sense of accomplishment.
In typical day to day life, it might be challenging to feel the sense of accomplishment you get from finishing a book.
On top of this, knowing you’ve read a bunch of books feels excellent.
Reading Books is Important Cause It gives you something to talk about
Reading books also give you something to talk about. Once you’ve read a few books, you’ll be able to pass on what you’ve learnt. You’ll also have new ideas and topics to bring up in conversation. When I was younger and dating, my dates were often interested in talking about books and reading lists.
Having read a decent amount of books signals to people that you are curious, hardworking and willing to think about things that matter.
If you always have a book on the go, you can easily take 15 minutes to pick it up and read a little. If you keep doing this for a few weeks, you will be surprised to see how many books you can finish. Think about how much time you waste on your phone; that time would be better spent reading a book.
Reading books is important because it makes you smarter; it is also a better use of time than surfing the web or watching TV.
If you want to live a more meaningful life, then pick up a book instead. Reading will introduce you to other worlds that you couldn’t think of yourself, for that reason books make life more enjoyable.
Thanks for reading; if you like books, you might like mine; check it out: How To Be Amazing! A Manifesto.