Article by Sydney Loder
If you’re anything like me, time is of the essence, and is definitely one of the most important aspects of life. Time however, is not a forever deal. This simple fact is the reason why I largely don’t sleep, always need to be doing something, have constant stress over not making the most out of every moment, and have pretty major fomo. I just don’t want to miss out on any part of life because I don’t know how much time I truly have. So why am I then able to rationalize the hours upon hours I spend doing nothing but reading a book?
Personally, reading is one of my favorite things to do. It provides an escape from the stress and from life in general. By creating this oasis for myself, I am able to forget that I should be out doing something, and rather am able to relax for one of the few moments in my life. Reading gives me the chance to calm all the noise in my mind by allowing it to focus on fantastical worlds and dream-like characters. I am able to completely forget every ”bad” aspect of my life. By divulging into the world of reading, I am able to ground myself, and for once, take a break.
Logistically speaking, for students, reading at a high level allows for them to learn the importance of focus and concentration within their work. This is largely due to students reading difficult pieces of literature where they are forced to find themes, symbolism, tones, and more from seemingly nothing, at times. Reading outside of school is also highly important for students as it adds for an extra facet of self-exploration, tends to make individuals more empathetic, and based on the content, can improve social skills. Now within professional and not personal life, reading outside of school allows for an increase in creative thinking, an increase within memory skills, strengthens brain activity, and (as we all know) boosts vocabulary.
There is quite literally no reason why an individual should choose not to read when looking at the benefits. Regardless of the pros, there is the large misconception that all reading is boring, which I can understand if all an individual reads is literature for school. However, in order to bring back the fun in reading I recommend finding your favorite genre in movies or tv shows and then researching popular authors who write in that specific genre. This way you are finding books that would actually interest you and play to the various things you find enjoyment in.
Reading, without a doubt, is one of the most important things within this world of ours. So just give it a chance, and you might realize its one of the best uses of your time.
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