I am aware how self-serving today’s topic is considering I am a writer, but the importance of reading cannot be overstated. Reading is more than fundamental it is the tool that can separate the not so fine line of ignorance versus knowledge.
Society is moving fast. Change, whether you deem it progress or a hindrance, is upon us whether you like it or not. Technology, including the Internet, is evolving so rapidly that our minds are constantly on stimulus overload. There are so many gadgets and devices that preoccupy our attention it is understandable when people say they have no time for anything…it’s hard to find the time when you cannot get off of your phones, computers or in front of the television.
Ironically the same devices that keep people distracted and preoccupied are the same (minus the television) tools that allow for easier access to educating and knowledge.
I hear many people claim that they either do not have time for or do not necessarily enjoy reading. I can understand the claim on many levels. Time for me is a precious commodity and I constantly search for a balance in knocking all the items of my daily to do list with time for elective pleasures.
However, while I may not read much purely for fun, reading is an essential part of my day. Back in the day if you did not know something, you actually had to either own encyclopedias or go to the library to look something up. Today with the advent of Google and other search engines, information is at all of our fingertips.
We must still understand the source of the information, in order to verify its veracity and reliability, but there is so much information available to us that if we just conditioned ourselves to reading more, we would be so much more knowledgeable and informed.
People are becoming too reliant on television and headlines from Social Media and the Internet to base life altering thoughts and decisions without further reading and verification to form truly informed opinions. Take the time and read… learn about what’s going on in the world today. Learn about issues affecting your community. Learn about the real issues affecting this country. Stop being reliant on manipulative sound bites of information that are meant to influence you depending on who is delivering the source of information.
Reading is about digging a little deeper to develop a truly informed opinion. There is so much we all lack knowledge of and there is no shame in not knowing something. The issue is in willful and sustained ignorance. With the options to learn and garner information so readily available the # of I have no time or really don’t like reading is not acceptable. I am not judging, but rather imploring people to read more. The establishment or powers that be that so many of us love to reference love for people to not read and understand the issues. They disseminate information to suit their needs and count on people being lazy and/or distracted in not doing more to learn more.
Reading may not always be fun, but it is so important to set the time aside and stay informed. Not knowing is not cool. There is so much information out there, it is just as important to understand and vet the source and credibility of the information before we set aside the valuable time to read stuff like this.
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#reading, #knowledge, #ignorance, #news, #socialmedia, #Internet
