This is a guest post by Garima Aggarwal. Garima is an aspiring content writer working for TABSCAP. Coming from a journalism background, she has been into content writing for 2 years and is passionate about topics related to lifestyle, health, and digital marketing.
Reading is the key to learning
Books don’t just teach you good vocabulary, but a lot more than that.
As a child, I always found it hard to read books. I mean, who could read a thick novel containing difficult text and no pictures?
And yet, I was always been told that reading books is vital, especially for people interested in writing or those who have to interact with a mass audience on a regular basis. But very few people ever cared to explain to me why reading is important. The rather boring list of reasons they gave me included clichés like, “you will learn new words,” and, “your vocabulary will improve.” So what?
So I turned to hardcore book readers instead. And the reasons they gave me were rather different! Here’s what they had to say.
Reading gives you a unique perspective
Whether or not you learn new words or vocabulary, you will definitely build a unique perspective about life. Imagine sitting in a group of people arguing about the positive and negative role politics have played throughout history. How would you join the conversation when you don’t have any understanding of either politics or history yourself?
Reading books offers just this kind of knowledge. Books help you build your outlook and then share it with others. Even more importantly, they let you understand the perspective of others. How can you discuss anything without that?
Reading widens your thoughts and beliefs
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are influenced by media and imitate what they view because a large part of their day is consumed by watching television.
I often see people, especially young ones, busily scrolling their social media and smartphones. And I wonder: how can they expand their thoughts and beliefs if they spend all their time in front of a screen? People get easily influenced because they don’t have beliefs of their own. If they read more and socialized less, they might expand their horizons and implement what they learned in their life as well.
Reading increases your knowledge
The more you read, the more you learn, and the more knowledgeable you become. As one of my teachers once said, “You don’t need to spend money to visit faraway places; you can just go there by reading books.” That is so true! You learn about places even if you have not visited them personally. Increasing knowledge is never bad; it only adds up to your life skills and professional career. When you read books, you discover something new every day.
Reading develops critical thinking skills
When we read a book, we often think about it and spend a few days pondering the story, characters, decisions, and all it involves. When you read, your imagination is not just limited to a particular screen measure, as is the case with movies. You think critically about the characters’ situation and their world. You wonder what you’d do in their place. And you often end up coming up with scenarios of your own!
Beats social media!
Social media is purposefully built in a way that creates echo chambers. Instead of providing us with factual information, it delivers what we want to hear. Books, on the other hand, challenge you and your views. That’s why books beat social media any day!
You learn to discuss
As AR Rahman, a renowned Indian singer and composer, once said, “The more you know, the less you talk.” This is what books teach you. It’s strange but the more information you have, the less you argue. And when you do argue, you use facts. I would argue that this lets you become more calm and positive towards life.
Spending money on books is an investment
Your parents, if you’re younger, or your budget may not appreciate you spending money on expensive gaming systems, clothes, and accessories. No one will mind you spending money on books, though! Even if you’re not a writer, don’t care about your vocabulary, or don’t want to develop your critical skills, books are a treasure that you will cherish for a lifetime because they add value to your mind, life, and career.
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This post clears up something I never quite understood.
I have a ‘bookish’ sister – likes to learn, research, know things, excel academically, but in social situations, she misses cues, gives disjointed answers when given even open ended questions. She takes the conversation and it becomes a runaway train that no one else can run fast enough to jump and enjoy the ride. She’s awkward around people, talks at them instead of to them.
Here’s the punchline: She dislikes fiction, only reads reference type books, ‘ How to manage your IRA,’ ‘Garnering Power in the Workplace.”
She has garnered knowledge, but I think fiction would be a beneficial thing for her.
Love her lots.
Just want her in the conversation.