Here's why reading is still worth your time

Most people would generally agree that reading has always been an extremely stimulating habit and pastime. However, it is often mistaken as a hobby for children, underestimating the potential reading has for every age group.

I have always been passionate about books. Ever since I knew how to read, I flipped through the pages of any book I could find at home. Despite my curiosity and interest, I always wondered why reading is not appreciated by everyone. There’s still people who ask me:

“Why do you read? Isn’t it boring?”.

Firstly we could focus on how reading, with the beginning of university or college, becomes compulsory, a task to accomplish, losing all its appeal. While children consider books as an inspiring and exciting opportunity to dream with eyes open, in older students this perception tends to fade. Moreover does the text put in light how stories play a crucial role in shaping an individual’s personality and future ambitions. Adventure novels, such as Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels or Treasure Island by Stevenson, inspire children and young people to dream of a life similar to the characters’ they read of. At the question “What do you want to do when you grow up?”, it is not unusual to find a young sci-fi voracious reader answering “I want to be an astronaut”.

On the other hand, we could take into account the pleasure of reading in relation to its sharing with others. The focus is on reading aloud, for listening to it in company and discussing ideas about it can be enriching and helpful. The share of opinion has the ability to trigger reflections and stimulate thoughts, while creating connections with other people. Since everyone can give their own interpretation, it is a great opportunity to try and see other points of view. In my opinion, that is not the only advantage of reading aloud. In fact, I am convinced it is also an incredibly useful exercise for children who are learning to read and for them to practice concentration.

In today’s world, where we are used to get everything we want in an extremely short period of time, we should not underestimate the power of sitting and engage in a reading activity. It does require more focus and effort than endlessly scrolling on social media. That’s why it is so important to train your brain again to focus for more than a few seconds. To restore your attention span after social media has ruined it.

Reading is a stimulating activity, for people of every age, offering an easy way of enhancing creativity and concentration, while providing a captivating opportunity to escape from the real world and shape one’s identity.