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I had a friend ask me once why I read so much. She could not fathom why an activity so tedious to her seem to take most of my free (and not so free) time. She didn’t ask me in a bad way at all but rather wanted to understand why I actually enjoyed reading without falling asleep or even getting bored. She wanted to start reading more but for the life of her, she couldn’t sit for more than ten minutes without getting distracted no matter how good the book was. In her case, it did not help that she is also dyslexic. I didn’t have a straight answer for that question. The reasons behind my reading are very specific to me and trying to explain them to her seemed a little hard. 

We all love stories. Whether we are reading them from a book, listening to them as audio or podcasts or even watching them as films. Stories, fiction or not, have a way of connecting and speaking to humans across the globe without even realizing that we are connecting. Reading itself has been around for centuries through civilizations like in North Babylonia where written records have been discovered that show be no less than six thousand years old, which proves that reading and writing were by then, in their infancy (Huey 3). Quite a number of people believe that reading for pleasure is a waste of time. I mean, what is the use of staying up to three in the morning staring at a book if it’s not for school? There are those that never read because they simply do not have the time. Others like my friend, can’t find a way to enjoy a book or make it through a few pages without being distracted.  

So, how does one get to read and actually enjoy it? We can start by acknowledging that reading has major benefits in our lives. I believe reading is essential for human existence just as eating or sleeping or exercising. Our minds have to be fed and exercised too. Reading feeds our minds and souls and in a way help us deal with everyday lives. It opens our eyes to new perspectives about people and the world and not forgetting to mention that it does make us smarter and wiser. It increases our knowledge and wisdom about the world. The most important benefit for reading, and one that is mine is that it inspires. It stimulates and awakens or encourages a desire to do more or be better. Think about a film you watched or a testimony about someone’s life you listened, and it encouraged you to face something you were struggling with. Or even just encouraged you to start doing something for yourself exactly the way the character did. Just by reading, we can change our lives and thus the world. How does one start? With the world always in motion and responsibilities to be managed and things to be done, how does one find time to seat and enjoy a book or a piece of literature? https://www.thereadingleague.org is a research forum that provides a scientific evidence behind the art of reading and not just for teachers and students but for personal gain too. One of the articles has a very good true heading that “the reading brain is taught not born” (Gotlieb, et al). No one is born a reader, but they do not have to live that way. The art of reading and enjoying reading is learned and practiced. Reading does not have to be tiring or a chore and in fact, when done right, it becomes the ultimate escape from the  fast paced world we live in. /lets-get-bookish-how-to-start-reading-for-fun/ is a lovely article that will help in ways that someone can start their reading habit and make it fun too. Reading can be fun when done right and the benefits from it are lifechanging. Becoming a good reader has to be a process that one puts an effort on just the same as putting an effort in working out or sticking a routine. The rewards are an amazing ability to understand the world and people and be able to look at thing with broad perspectives and understand. Absolutely worth it!

Works Cited

Gotlieb, Rebecca, Rhinehart, Laura and Wolf, Maryanne. The “reading brain” is taught not born: Evidence from the evolving Neuroscience of reading for teachers and society. 2022. https://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Reading-Brain.pdf

Huey B, Edmund. The History and Pedagogy of Reading: With the review of history of reading and writing. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1916.