READING IS THE GATEWAY THAT MAKES ALL OTHER LEARNING POSSIBLE

There is no indecision about that reading has a great importance and benefits in our life. The benefits range from improving mental health, to improving physical health, to creating healthy habits, and it’s no wonder that books and reading are so high up on the list of personal entertainment. Reading does not only provide us health benefits but also the writing benefit. A good reader is most often an independent learner and consequently an independent thinker capable of taking his/her decisions in life rationally. Such a learner will most assuredly  also be capable of critical thinking. Reading acts as a stress buster – Reading books can help to release stress. Yes, you read that right. Reading helps to stimulate your mind and divert your focus from issues and problems that are responsible for your stress. A Book has the power to take you to other realms and fill your mind with positivity. You can try reading motivational books and novels.

Reading adds to the treasure of your knowledge – With everything that you read, you learn something new. There is no end to knowledge and hence, no end to learning as well. By reading, you come across a lot of information that may come in handy at the most unexpected times. It is believed that the depth of a person’s knowledge is directly proportional to his/her ability to tackle any challenging situation. The more you know, the better it is.

Reading expands your vocabulary – You can lose your wealth, your job, or any other possession but you can never lose knowledge. Every book you read adds to this priceless treasure. Reading helps you to expand your vocabulary as you come across many different words, some of which you might have never heard before. Being well-spoken and having a good vocabulary can help you stand out, whether you are addressing an audience in a debate, or having a discussion in a group. In the future, it can also help you in your profession.

Reading boosts your memory – If you think that children don’t have problems with memory retention, you are mistaken. Just like adults, children have memory issues especially when it comes to learning and revising for upcoming exams, debates or any such events.  When you read books, there are a lot of things that you have to remember, be it the name of the characters, the background of the book, its plot, history and other things. When you read novels and books on a daily basis, it polishes your memory and makes it sharp.

Reading enhances your analytical thinking skills – When we read novels, especially those with a mysterious plot, we often try to solve the mystery by ourselves, even before we have reached the end page of the book. For this, we use our critical and analytical thinking skills. We try to find out the connection between things and start imagining what will happen next. We analyse the situation and sometimes even criticize the story if it doesn’t end well. One of the best things that you can do is read a book and then start discussing it with your friends.

Reading has always improved us to develop into a better civic society and in that process, we eventually became much more empathetic and humble towards each other. Moreover, reading also helps us to grow a better perspective which makes our life effortless. Today, the habit of reading among the young generation is diminishing; primarily because of the ubiquitous use of social media acting like a recoil for book readers. Parents and schools should introduce a collective effort towards developing the habit of reading among children so that they do not miss out on the most precious gift that we can give to them ‘Knowledge’.