by: Ronald S. Cena
Dealing with the everyday surge of challenges is but an ordinary task one faces in his life. With such normal scenario, great minds and strong instincts are the usual necessities to possibly survive it. The mere knowledge is not enough for a person to overcome shortcomings because not all the problems are in academic terms but rather in practical ones. Thus, to withstand hardships, intelligence must be enhanced.
Isn’t it powerful to be able to create sound decisions for desperate situations? Only those with proper mindset can easily find wise solutions. Their mental prowess can help them adapt to whatever life brings them. From simple matters to complex ones, all are relatively manageable for those well-learned.
Indeed, everyone would want mind power. It would not only suffice personal satisfaction, rather it will provide one with a huge vision of the present, past and even future relevancies. To sum it up, these are some of the guaranteed benefits of reading a lot.
In relation to this, it is believed that some 774 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women. According to UNESCO’s “Global Monitoring Report on Education for All(2006)”, countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world are Burkina Faso (12.8%), Niger (14.4%) and Mali (19%). The report revealed an apparent connection between illiteracy and countries in severe poverty.
To uplift one’s condition and of the country’s plight, the importance of education must be upheld. Suffice it to say, education does not end in the classroom confines. Learning goes beyond the typical. With this, reading by any means, is of great aid.
It is proven that frequent practice reading for longer periods of time pays off in fluency and ability to use skills automatically. Compounded with series of studies, research shows that avid readers: read better, write better and concentrate better. They have an easier time processing new information and a better chance for a successful, fulfilling adult life. More so, they develop an ability to understand how other people think and feel. They also acquire the ability to sift information and understand how unrelated facts can fit into a whole.
Perhaps, there exist some difficulties from reading. Such are the slow or faulty eye movement and difficulties in understanding, arising from poor vocabulary or lack of familiarity with the material. Nevertheless, just like the philosophy in any other work—practice makes perfect. There is always a room for improvement; the more you try hard, the more it gets easier.
Reading does not end by mere decoding of the printed symbols. It encompasses comprehension. At first, the person who reads regularly will reach the cognitive level of learning. As the process continues, the stage transpires until the psychomotor level of learning is gained. The well-read person is dynamically abreast of the concerns of the world. Such is an exceptional prize reading could only serve.
As regards the concern, it is also of great consideration that we must keep records of what we encounter. This does not work in reading alone for it also applies to the actual life dealings. We must take notes of everything that we learn so as not to drift off. Just as the Chinese proverb conveys it, “The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory”.
Truly the magnificent power of reading hastens progress. It helps foster not just the intellect side of a person, but his holistic being as well. The decision is ours to uphold. Will we engulf ourselves in the grandeur of reading habit? If the answer is yes, well then—let us start reading.