With the predominance of digital audio and video in our daily lives, we left reading a little aside. However, these media present the facts without giving us a chance to reason. On the other hand, it is often said that reading is a passive activity. Nothing is further from the truth. Reading is a complex activity which consists of a large number of different acts.
We read to find out who we are and to enrich our lives. Reading is an act of connection. We look from where we are to what is around us and to the possible avenues of future. Reading largely forms our understanding of being a part of an existential community where we can share thoughts and emotions. When we read, perhaps, we are not in the same year together, not even in the same room, but we are close. We are having “a meeting of the minds.”
The great books wait for us forever in the back of our memories, ready to give service when needed. If another language is present that means a further enrichment of the reading experience. Literature is a humanizing force that allows us to get in touch not only with our senses and feelings, but also to feel and recognize the thoughts and emotions of other people.
We read from serious books of information, but we can read just for fun too. The latter is one of the most enjoyable means to escape from our ordinary lives. I believe teachers should put more emphasis on reading for enjoyment instead of worksheets and homework. The school curriculum shouldn’t forget that flexibility also to varying the types of materials students read.
There are many benefits of reading. Let’s take a look at what the top benefits are as to why we should read books every day. READING enriches vocabulary, improves memory, facilitates the acquisition of experience, facilitates the learning in general, expands knowledge of the language, improves our writing, awakens intelligence, improves focus and concentration, improves analytical thinking skills, activates the imagination, clarifies ideas, reduces stress, perfects the culture, provides us with solutions to problems already solved by others, puts us in touch with the brightest minds of the present and the past, widens our outlook and gives more opportunities to make a success, help us to understand the inheritance we have, and it helps in the process of building a strong and generous personality.
