‘Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers’. – Charles William Eliot
In the age of no cellphones and when computers were hardly the power monsters they are today, a hard copy book was often one’s best companion during one’s childhood.
Yes, such days indeed existed, believe it or not; a time when libraries did not merely exist in a virtual realm.
Times have of course changed. To quote the great Charles Dickens, these are the best of times and the worst of times.
Technology is great, and has many advantages, granted.
Yet at the same time a generation is growing up with little understanding of the magic of books, and how literacy remains the backbone of our intellectual development.
As the country celebrated National Library Week last week, one has to be left wondering if the youth still read books, and if they even know what a library is.
Remember the days when you were dropped off at the library to complete a school task? If felt almost exhilarating left stranded in this mansion of exploration, and then you had to use the photocopy machine to obtain the necessary information.
Now, school tasks are so much easier thanks to virtual libraries.
Sure, there are still plenty of the older generation who loves to read a book, but those days are swiftly being swallowed by the tide of modernism.
Books remains a great source of companionship, of joy and of adventure, yet for the younger generation is has been replaced with the visual world of play consoles and movies that are thin on plot development yet heavy laden with special affects.
It was sad the day when it was decided to turn the epic stories Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit into movies. The reason being was those who worked on the films, such as director Peter Jackson, had the final say of the visual appearance of the character, Middle Earth and the unfolding plot.
Albeit the movies were great, but they robbed the reader of the a magical journey. After all, the power of books lies in the fact that it allows the reader to imagine his own world, and to be creative in his thinking. Movies ultimately negate such power.
TV and computer games have their place, but they are more like amusement. Amusement comes from two words “a” [non] and “muse” [think]. Amusement is non-thinking activities. With reading, a person can go anywhere in the world or even out of it. The possibilities are endless.
There are great benefits to reading for it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. So reading a book is the ultimate exercise for the brain.
Reading will always remain a key area for development. Studies show that reading for pleasure makes a big difference to children’s educational performance.
Likewise, evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who do not, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.
In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.
Reading also develops the imagination and creativity as it shows you nothing is impossible in this world. By reading, you are exploring a different angle to see a thing you’ve known, on how different action leads to different results.
Non-readers never experience these joys to the same extent.
At the end of the day, reading is important because words – spoken and written – are the building blocks of life. Yet words have been submerged in a cacophony.
It is said that when reading, you’re in full silence because reading connects directly to your brain. In silence, you seek for more; in silence, your brain is clear and and therefore can focus. Thus, you learn and grow, and therefore you feel and see from the point of view of the author about everything in life.
Hence you shape a better self.
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