The Reading Culture: Virtues and Shackles

Reading, according to historians, is the architect of our civilisation.

Yet, as the world continues to evolve in terms of technological, political, economic, and social advancements, there is a drastic decline in the reading culture in our societies. There is no doubt that the vibrant interest in reading that pushed many renowned people to their successes has gradually winded down, especially amongst youths of the twenty-first century.

The Internet, the subsequent explosion of social media, and the steady expansion of the movie industry are some of the factors responsible for this decline. Nonetheless, our problem goes beyond merely identifying the reasons for this decline. We also need to identify how to turn things around and improve the reading culture in our communities. We need to identify them, and we need to start doing them.

We can’t talk about civilisation without literacy. It is essential to the development of any society. Not only does it improve mental health, memory, focus, ability to empathize, and communication skills, reading also opens endless doors of opportunities, broadens your horizon and offers the opportunity to experience worlds that seem to be out of reach.

However, despite these benefits, it has become a tedious task for many in our society. People conveniently spend hours surfing the internet but find it difficult to hold a book for even a few minutes. Internet scripts and social media posts account for most of many people’s reading.

Similarly, the movie industry has made it so that many have become too lazy to read, preferring to cuddle up on their sofas and enjoy the images on the screen rather than the words on paper. The non-availability of reading materials is another contributor to the steady decline in the reading culture in our society. Access to good reading materials is limited and those that are available are often poorly written, badly edited or intellectually lacking. Books that empower the mind are difficult to access.

Now’s the Time to Jump-Start Our Reading Culture

The revival of the reading culture is essential in our society. Otherwise, sooner rather than later, poor reading will threaten our civilisation.

Reduction in the influence of the internet and movie obsession is a major step toward reviving the reading culture. This is true. However, it is better to capitalize on factors that encourage good and effective reading.

These factors include curiosity which is a valuable element that has led to numerous ground-breaking discoveries across several disciplines, interest in the reading materials, availability of well-written books, and individual dedication to the cultivation of the mind which is mostly achievable through reading.

We also need to immerse our young in a culture of reading.

Inability to revive reading forebodes the death of the intellect, giving way to primitiveness.