Why is reading so trivialized in our culture, or mainly our generation? I can't seem to find the answer to that, because I believe there is nothing about reading a good story, escaping into another world or life of another human being, that makes it worthy of such mockery and disdain amongst our peers.
I can understand college kids don't have much time for recreational reading, nor do they want to when they are constantly reading textbooks. I believe, however, that reading is vital to our minds and our lives. You can gain so many beneficial attributes from reading a good piece of well-written literature, wisdom and knowledge being among them. It's an experience to enter new perspectives, different lives, cultures, or even times in history. To escape the modern world and the hustle and bustle of our social media driven culture. Escape with a good piece of fiction about another human being you can relate to. Escape with a historical nonfiction book about World War II or a historical fiction novel set during World War II. You're the romantic type? Escape into a romantic novel and hope for love. Escape with helpful, instructional books that will teach you about something you're interested in. In my case, that's books for fly fishing beginners. Escape into a western, and read about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana (Lonesome Dove) if that interests you. Escape to the Klondike and frigid temperatures of the north with a dog named Buck surging with the ecstasy of life and listening to The Call of the Wild. Never been to Paris? Read A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and escape to Paris with his words. You're a Christian struggling with faith and sin? C.S. Lewis has a lot to say about that in his books.
It doesn't matter what you read, just read. It's important. In fact, so important that it makes you a better person. I recently read that The New School for Social Research in New York proved that reading literature improves empathy. It is hard to find time and especially the mood being in college, but I read two short novels during finals because it is important to me and I love it. It is one of my passions next to writing. I also did fine on all of my finals, in case you were wondering, because I read to relieve stress and gain patience. I find serenity in the solitude of reading. If you aren't that type of person, I can relate, I really can, but literature is a powerful form of art that can be so charitable to your life. It can change your life; make you smarter, wiser, kinder. It's emotional, and it's simply enjoyable as well. I wish our generation would make time to read. If you're reading this, then you've gotten this far on this article, and I thank you. I also encourage you to read on.
"Fiction's about what it is to be a human being" - a brilliant quote from David Foster Wallace, a great American author that somehow predicted our internet-driven culture before his death and was, unfortunately, very unknown. Let's make sure our brilliant authors today are remembered.
