“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Swiss
A few days back I was doing a social experiment, that was reading books in public places to see people ‘s reaction to it, I loved to do it as I am a person who has a dire love for books which compelled me to do this experiment as I always wonder why people are not reading books nowadays? why people have shifted from books to screens? The result of the experiments was what I expected people were looking at me with surprise, some people looked perplexed and some people made me feel like I was doing something weird or strange.
Furthermore, here I would love to mention the book; The Burnout Society by “Byung-Chul Han which is a thought-provoking exploration of the phenomenon of burnout in contemporary society. Han argues that the constant race of achievement, productivity, and constant connectivity has led to a state of exhaustion and burnout in our society, individuals are expected to be available and productive at all times.” If they pause, then fear arises that they will lose. This might be one of the reasons for the reading drought, secondly, nowadays we are totally trapped in a bubble where we just want ourselves and our laptops and mobile phones which take us to each corner of the world within seconds, we have become impatient, we want everything to happen in seconds in such a situation who will want to grab a book and read it patiently till the last page, black words, white pages look boring.
Benefits of reading books
Now let’s shed some light on the benefits of reading books, let’s try to answer why reading books is crucial. firstly, Reading books can make us better and more compassionate human beings in our societies. By reading books, we can be inclusive, high-brow, amicable, and performative.
Furthermore, when we read books, we will come to know about ourselves and the people around us. Books sharpen our minds, expand our vocabulary, foster communication skills, and reduce stress. When one begins to read books, one completely changes and emerges with several improvements both physical and mental. Nations that read books, per several studies, are far more developed than nations that do not read books.
Followings are some of the benefits of reading books.
- Enhances imagination.
When you read fiction, you get introduced to different types of people who are living distinct lives in addition to the problems and challenges that they are encountering. Your decision-making skills get honed and you become strong at decision-making. You will generate the ability for resolving problems and imagine an entire scenario where you take stock of everything before taking a decision that will ultimately resolve the problem. - Expands your vocabulary.
By reading different kinds of books you will learn a plethora of vocabulary that will help you in writing. Writing is a hulking field. You need sound grammar, immaculate diction, and meticulously made sentences. When you can write well your job prospects increase. And for being a good writer you have to be a good reader. - Makes you empathetic and compassionate
By reading fiction you will begin to feel what others feel. Reading fiction can make you a good mother, a caring husband, or a magnificent wife. When you read novels your communication skills get fostered. Furthermore, reading fiction can make us responsible citizens who understand ourselves and the people around us. - Reduces stress.
Reading books can by far reduce our mundane as well as lethal stresses. A novel, or an anthology of poetry, can escape us from the harsh and distressing problems of life. A study conducted by the University of Sussex in 2009 revealed that there was a 68% reduction in stress levels by reading for only six minutes. We can understand the importance of reading books by the aforementioned statistics.
Conclusion
Reading books whether fiction or non-fiction is imperative for human beings. It will help us become what we want. It will pave our way towards a bright and incandescent future. Turning a blind eye to books and resorting to the unbridled rush of technology will only harm us. Once Dostoevsky wrote that only beauty can save the world. But I will slightly change it by replacing beauty with books: only books can save the world.
