INSIGHTS : Advantages of Reading

Every educated person has to read technical or text books in order to face exams or for the work. But few read anything apart from that. International,” reading day”, has just passed by, an event which I came to know through, “THE NEW TIMES”. Reading is the skill of interpretation of a written text. Sadly with advances in modern technology, people are forgetting this fine and enjoyable activity of reading. Here by reading I mean the reading of general books, apart from text books. Every educated person has to read technical or text books in order to face exams or for the work. But few read anything apart from that. There are many buying videos, C.D’s., computer games, e.t.c. but few are takers of books. This trend can be visibly seen in the market, where there are plenty of shops for cosmetics, electronic goods but few for books. There are many myths regarding, “reading”, prevalent in the general public. First being that it is a waste of time. Many concerned parents do not allow their children to read anything else apart from textbooks, considering it to be a waste of time. For many grown up persons, the thinking is that time spent in reading can be very well used for some useful work. Some parents also said that they fear their children may become spoilt after reading,” bad books”. I feel sorry for such persons. Because they do not realize how much they have missed in life that by not reading. A good story is like a friend telling you a story. It can get you involved in thrill, romance, adventure, history or philosophy, i.e. in the subject taken up in the book. You get transported in another world through books. Books even if fiction, enhance our knowledge regarding language, culture and customs of a particular place or community of the world. One gets to know about geography of different parts of the world. It also gives a good insight in to human nature. A person reading literature becomes more sensitive to the emotions of another person, a quality which seems to be reducing in today’s world. It is good to read technical books but it is also important to read good literature. Regarding issue of utilizing time, I think there is nothing better than reading a good back. When free, reading is a far better past time than watching a movie or gossiping. Overall general knowledge of a person who reads magazines and newspapers is always superior to those who do not read. Regarding growing children, inculcating the habit of reading is very useful for their studies and over all personality development. Reading stimulates the mind actively thus improving a child’s concentration and retaining ability. This definitely helps him to score better in school/university examinations. A child who reads regularly ,automatically becomes fast in reading and writing as his mind remains focused while reading and while writing, the thought s are spontaneously transferred to the paper. Good literature of any language aids one to improve his language skills. Thus a student can improve his skills of any language just by reading good books in that language. If loud reading is done, his spoken language will also improve definitely. A book whether good or bad will always provide these advantages as it will actively stimulate the brain. There is negligible risk of a child getting spoilt. But risks of being spoilt are much more with porno movies, violent computer games, e.t.c. Besides, while using these gadgets for entertainment, a young person will definitely miss the benefits provided by reading books. A youngster who reads shall always have a superior edge to his colleagues in many ways. As far as the issue of fitness of eyes is concerned, it can be observed that even an illiterate person can have weak eyes needing correction. If one reads in adequate light, there is absolutely no extra stress on the eyes. Weakening of the eyes for near work is a normal change with aging and needs correction by suitable eye glasses. It has nothing to do with reading and is applicable to all, whether they are reading or not. If one has not enjoyed company of books up till now, pick up a good book and start reading it. Once a person tastes the pleasure of reading it becomes likes and addiction. But this addiction proves to be much beneficial in long run. –rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk

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INSIGHTS : Advantages of Reading