Why Reading is Worth the Time

by Momoca, age 12
Why Reading is Worth the Time Momoca is going into seventh grade at NEST. She likes piano and chess. Her favorite book is "The Maze Runner," and her favorite place in New York City is Central Park. She has one little brother.

“Many of the most successful people in the world are great readers, including Buffet, Gates, Winfrey, and Musk, but success isn’t the only benefit of reading. Reading is also an important habit that is necessary for gaining optimum information.”

“When Warren Buffett was once asked about the key to success, he pointed to a stack of nearby books and said, ‘Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works.’” Warren Buffett is a business magnate, investor, and one of the richest people in the world. Many of the most successful people in the world are great readers, including Buffet, Gates, Winfrey, and Musk, but success isn’t the only benefit of reading. Reading is also an important habit that is necessary for gaining optimum information. Books are a peaceful way of learning and connecting with the world and are very enjoyable with tea in bed. Not only is reading entertaining, but it increases your knowledge, imagination on the world, and enhances the well-being of the brain.

Reading should be a habit because it is resourceful. Because books contain such a wide variety of genres, there is a lot to learn from them. They are easily accessible from the library and bookstores. Having reading as a habit also makes people’s brains automatically pick up good vocabulary words and smart phrases. This shows that books even improve the way people talk. Books are also a great substitute to computers and other electronic devices for retrieving information. Although the internet may be faster and easier, an overdose of screen time can damage your eyes and weaken them. Books however, can be used longer without getting tired, and can be easily marked. A paper titled The Relation Between Television Exposure and Theory of Mind Among Preschoolers was published in November 2013 in the Journal of Communication. It was found that preschoolers who are exposed to lots of TV have a “weaker understanding of other people’s beliefs and desires, and reduced cognitive development.” Additionally, technology is highly overused by people, resulting in sleep deprivation and tired eyes. Books mostly control the amount people work. When it gets dark, people get the message that it is time to rest. Overall, everyone should read because they would learn a lot without getting too tired.

Reading should also be a daily ritual because it increases imagination. Albert Einstein stated that imagination is even more important than information because it allows us to invent or discover new things. Reading is a big key to this, for it gains both information and imagination. Specifically, fantasy books, such as Harry Potter, may influence children that anything is possible. Neil Gaiman, an author, stated that books are the future, and that reading is extremely influential. In other words, other’s thoughts, opinions, and discoveries influence more creative books which is a process that slowly increases humanity’s knowledge as a whole. Reading can even connect people. Books come in all languages and is international. Some books, such as Where the Red Fern Grows or Mockingjay, can evoke extreme emotion as the characters go through pain, envy, and heartbreak. Such deep books can even shed light on reality. This proves that books can influence gratefulness. As a result, books should be read because it increases awareness and information.

Primarily, reading should be done for enjoyment. Although learning may seem like extra work, most people do not realize that while they read for fun, they are gaining vocabulary and writing techniques through the sentences. The number of people that read for pleasure is decreasing because of the changing world of technology. According to TIME, the amount of books people read for pleasure had dropped “significantly in the past 30 years. In 1984, 8% of 13-year-olds and 9% of 17-year-olds said they ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ read for pleasure. In 2014, that number had almost tripled, to 22% and 27%.” The inky papers are being replaced with dreary video games, such as Minecraft, and online junk, when fun learning can be gained. However, that only gives more of a need to read. All in all, reading is an engaging and purposeful activity.

Finally, reading improves the health of the brain. Specifically, it improves the function of the complex organ on different levels. Researchers in Atlanta scanned the brains of 21 undergraduate students while they rested, then asked them to read sections of a thriller novel as a nightly ritual for five consecutive days. The scans revealed “heightened connectivity within the students’ brains on the mornings following the reading assignments. The areas with enhanced connectivity included the area of the brain associated with language comprehension, as well as the area associated with sensations and movement.” Furthermore, reading increases the chances of a more stable brain during old age. One research study published in the online journal, Neurology, had 294 patients who passed away at the age of 89. The study showed that “those who engaged in mentally stimulating activities, such as reading, earlier and later on in life experienced slower memory decline compared to those who didn’t. People who exercised their minds later in life had a 32 percent lower rate of mental decline compared to their peers with average mental activity.” This means that reading helps maintain a steady memorization capacity, which could be helpful during old age. Ultimately, reading should be done to strengthen the noggin.

To conclude, reading should be done by everyone for comfort, inspiration, and knowledge. Although many people take the easy path of surfing the web, the internet is a confusing and distracting thing that is not too reliable when counting on information. Books, however, are much less distracting, are usually checked for accurate information, and keep your eyes healthy. Reading is an escape from reality that encourages the gain of intelligence. The book Mazerunner was pretty good because, although it had a decent amount of dystopian features, it teaches the reader that exact goals may not always be achieved but something will always be gained from the experience. Unfortunately, screens are even taking over books, and the newest technologies have reading apps and Kindles. Even if reading may not be someone’s style, they should try it once in awhile, even though they may be using Kindles. Kindles are not the best option for reading, but it is better than not reading at all. Hopefully they will enjoy the first experience and decide to read more often.


Leave a Reply
