I have been a book reader for as long as I can remember. Personally, I’d rather spend my time reading a book than watching TV (unless, when I have company, I’m watching TV, just to make fun of what’s going on on the subway). So, what reasons can I share with you why others would like to consider reading a book as a priority activity in their personal lives?
1) Reading books can help you be more productive with your time. If you have nothing to do while you wait for something to happen while following your schedule, better read a book. While waiting for the time, you can read something good from a book. While you’re waiting for traffic to move, or while going to and from your destination, you can also read a few pages of a book (it’s a whole different matter if you’re the one driving; you have to listen to an audiobook, or books in a different format). Or read a book to someone who is driving and those willing and ready to listen, if that works for you.
2) Reading a book is like training and learning all in one, no matter how some have questioned how people can actually learn or train using a book. I remember a question answered by a professor of mine in graduate school, who is an expert business educator, asking the class if books can really educate people. He was, as it were, sounding out his doubts about the use of books in training. I said otherwise, and explained myself. Well, he wasn’t convinced by my ideas (basically, books give you ideas that you apply in everyday life situations), and I thought he should have held it against me. But still, I stand by my position that books are an excellent training and learning tool. You apply what you read from books in life, and check, if you made mistakes. You therefore learn in the process: books make training and learning easier.
3) Books are great companions, especially when you find yourself in situations in life that others describe as the “hard gets hard” phase. When friends are unbearable to get together, for some assorted and unclear personal reasons, you can consider reading books. Your search for solace in the middle of the pages of a book can help ease whatever ails you right now. Read two pages or up to ten pages a day, and this will be enough for your (reading) needs.
4) You will read everything about the most important beings, both supernatural and natural, through books. Remember: even God wrote a book, in the form of a Bible (which was made through people like us, of course). You will come face to face, so to speak, with these beings (of great importance) when you read about them in books.
5) You learn great stories that define and explain the mystery and depth of the human experience. You can read literature, contemporary books, religious books, history books, even technical books (“they give instructions on what to do”), poetry, and you will still “hear” great stories that will always inspire you. You see some sort of illumination of what “truth” is as you read the pages of these books that promise to tell you great stories.
6) The habit of reading books makes you live among the great and highly respected peoples who have lived on earth. There are so many of these people who have made reading books part of their habit. Just google famous people who read books and you will get a list of pages where you will see the names of well known people who are in the habit of reading books. So, you will be in good company if you have been reading books.
7) (Ironically!) People who read books seem smart (although they may not necessarily be smart); This can be an interesting trait to display to others to create a positive image, unless, if you don’t value having a “smart look”, they may think you are “nerdy” more than anything else. And have you noticed that most people who have wealth have a stack of books displayed or stored somewhere in their homes? This just indicates that reading books can help you become smarter (or even richer, if we stretch it further!).
8) Books make great gifts! Either you give them a book that you think another person needs to read for some particular reason you have in mind, or you give them a book that person wants (or has indirectly told you that they want to have and read). Go, get a book from the bookstore, or just give away something you’ve read for no particular event. People who received books as gifts would be gratified (or perhaps question their motives), but the message will surely get through.
9) It’s always great to read books on emerging tech platforms, as is joining something innovative or even revolutionary. This has been the case since man invented the printing press. Even for the blind, new technologies and platforms must be developed, so that they themselves can access more reading (as well as writing). For the rest of us, we can now read books directly from our cell phones (mostly in text format), from the Amazon Kindle, on your PC or laptop, or from an audiobook (although this involves listening), as well as readings newer related technologies that will soon be offered to the market.
10) Finally, books are works of art in themselves. Samples of works of art, capable of helping to lift our spirits and keep us in the constant search for what is beautiful in the midst of life’s difficulties, can literally be found between the pages of books. Have you seen books published by Taschen? Or those of Phaidon Press? His books can be considered impressive works of art. There is a lot of work that goes into processing a book, aside from the act of writing performed by an author. There are publishers, printers, publishers, agents, marketing people, critics, among others. Until the advent of the Internet (where you can publish a book on your own), creating a book was very labor intensive. It takes a lot of mental work just to get a book published and into your hands, so for God’s sake go read a book.
