Whatever we do in life, whether reading or any other thing, we might be tempted not to start or even give up if we don’t know its IMPORTANCE. But if we know its importance we will pay the price to get it done. I beseech you to follow and read this article thoroughly to get the most out of it as I share with you today on the first episode on the IMPORTANCE OF READING:
1. Reading expands your knowledge and makes you smarter
The more I read, the more I get to acknowledge how knowledgeable but ignorant I am. There are treasures hidden in books. “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”- Walt Disney.
It’s through reading that “we get to know the
unknown”. Books are a very rich source of information. With every book you
read, you get to learn new things. The more you read, the more you know about
different people, their behavior and experiences, different places, different
cultures and facts that otherwise you would not have known.
Reading books somehow or the other adds depth to your knowledge base. With your increasing knowledge, you become capable of making better decisions and choices in life. You become aware of your surroundings and tend to have an open mind. With so many new things learned, people who read, obviously tend to be smarter than people who don’t!
“One a glance at books and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is the voyage through time.” -Carl Sagan. The fact “Experience is the best teacher cannot be overemphasized”. There are some lessons only experience can teach. Unfortunately, we may not have all the time to go through all the experiences of life. There are some experiences, we can learn without going through ourselves.
Mensah Otabil once said “For some people even if you tell them fire burns, they will still want to put their hands in the said fire to experience it themselves”. In this context, such people may be those who don’t like reading. But who wouldn’t like to learn from books to avoid a very negative experience which he or she otherwise would have gone through if not for reading? Some moments are not worth experiencing but only safe to be told. This is one of the reasons why I like reading.
Interestingly, reading is one of the best shortcuts to obtain priceless information. Some writers use 10, 20, and sometimes 30 years to research and write books for us to read. We can never pay for such sacrifice. We only have to recognize its significance and read such works.
I recommend that you develop and hold on to a habit of reading for this reason: reading imparts valuable lessons from years of experience”
“If we encounter a man with a rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads”- Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is said that one cannot think or imagine beyond what he or she knows. This is the beauty of books: it makes you imagine things beyond possibility – things that would not come to our mind normally. Books give you a lot to think about. They also give you the opportunity to have your own perspectives and imaginations into play!
Apart from this, different creative characters, plots, and approaches trigger your creativity as well. You become both creative and imaginative. This creativity comes as a result of a renewed mindset and a change in our thinking patterns. Won't you like to be more creative? If you would like to, then the secret has been given: reading broadens your imagination and enhances your creativity.
Hope you enjoyed this episode?
Stay tuned for our second episode on the IMPORTANCE OF READING. Thanks for reading!
SAMUEL EKOW ABBUAH,
WRITER | SPEAKER | MENTOR,
SOF STUDENT.