For the vast majority of college students, reading is overrated unless it is for class. There is simply no time to read for pleasure or more likely we just do not want to open a book.
We would rather binge watch the latest season of "House of Cards" or peruse Buzzfeed for hours on end. Don’t get me wrong; I indulge myself in these things far too often, but there is something we could be doing with what little free time we do have that is infinitely more advantageous to us.
Perhaps instead of ruining our eyes in front of screens all day every day, we could pick up a book and delve into its pages. Books are a pathway into any world and any story you could ever imagine. If you can imagine something that has not been written yet, then maybe you should write a book yourself because people are always looking for something new and fresh.
There are copious novels, mysteries, adventure stories, romances, or whatever you are in the mood for just awaiting your arrival so their pages can be opened by you and their stories can come alive. With a book, you can be someone else. You are strewn into their stories. You experience all of their emotions. You genuinely care what happens to all of the characters. One of my teachers in high school said it perfectly and succinctly when she said, “Books make you feel.”
Books are an escape. An adventure lies within the folds of every book ever published and to let those stories sit idly on a shelf to never be opened is a disservice. Why wouldn’t you want to be transported into the magical world of Harry Potter in JK Rowling’s masterpiece? Or have your hearts torn out during "The Hunger Games?" Or long to live in a more eloquent time that Jane Austen illuminates with every word? There is an endless selection of experiences to choose from that you otherwise would not be able to have in reality.
I know free time in college is extremely difficult to come by, but perhaps the next time the opportunity presents itself you could reach for a book instead of your phone or your Netflix account. Let’s give books the recognition and appreciation they deserve.
