On the Importance Of Reading

Ever since I can remember, my favorite thing to do was read. Everything revolved around reading. When I was younger, people used to ask me "where is your favorite place in the whole world?" Most kids would scream, "DISNEY WORLD!!!!" However, I would choose the road less traveled and quietly respond, "Barnes and Noble," like it was the most normal and obvious answer in the world. What is Disney World compared to a place where there are thousands upon thousands of stories to be discovered? That was my thought process. Reading is something that is very special to me. It always has been and it always will be. It is something that I make sure I leave time in my day for, no matter how busy or stressed out I am.

In an age where technology and television and games are the normal entertainment choice, why do I choose to read instead?

1. It makes you smarter.

Reading does something that movies and television cannot. It teaches you how to speak, how to develop your vocabulary, how to interact with people of all backgrounds. Reading teaches you about people that are alive, people that have passed away, and even people that do not exist. Many people seem to think that the only way to learn from reading is to read biographies or non-fiction novels. This is definitely not the case. You may learn from any genre of book. I have learned more from fictional novels that I truly loved than non-fictional novels that have put me to sleep. Content is not necessarily the only thing to be learned from books. Vocabulary and grammar are always prevalent, in any genre of book that you read.

2. It allows you to escape.

Reading serves some of the same purposes as television and movies: it allows you to escape reality, even for just a moment. Whether you are reading a page, a chapter, or even a whole novel, you are taken out of your life and your problems and your stresses. You are brought into a whole world of different people, different situations, different stories. The possibilities are endless. This gives the reader the ability to leave their normal life behind and take a trip to some other place, to some other time, to some other life.

3. It is timeless.

Reading is reading. Whether it is done on a laptop, a screen, a tablet, an e-reader or in a physical book. Personally, I believe the battle between e-books and physical copies is a pointless one. Books are books. Reading is reading. No one makes a big deal about how you watch television: on your phone, movie theatre screen, laptop, actual television, etc. Watching TV is watching TV, no matter the method. Though I know reading and television are two vastly different things, they are the same in this regard. If you are a true and avid reader, you should not care about the method you are using to read. You should be appreciating and enjoying the words presented before you and the story they tell, no matter how you are receiving them. Despite the rise of electronic books, audio books, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, 3D television, computer software beyond our imagination and more, people are still reading. People have adapted their reading habits to be more technologically advanced and we are all still reading.

Doesn't that say something? The fact that physical libraries and Barnes and Noble stores are still doing well in business speaks to us readers. It says that no matter what, reading will always be relevant. No one will ever stop.

As time goes on, and the technology gets more and more advanced, the readers will still be here. It has passed the test of time, and will continue to pass for years to come.