REVIVING THE READING CULTURE PART TWO Reading is the act of reproducing mentally or vocally words written in a literature. It is also defined by the Macmillan English dictionary,” as the process of looking at and understanding words in a letter, book, newspaper e.t.c” . It is a process of acquiring information or knowledge in order to comprehend, analyze and interpret words. The relevance of knowledge to man cannot be overemphasized due to its importance to his development and growth; and the most significant way to acquire knowledge is through reading. That is, we all must appreciate the statement made by Sir Ahmadu Bello “prepare yourself by wide reading and learning to work on your own without supervision in order that you may become true undergraduates when you go into the university.” When one has developed the habit of reading, he/she is always ahead of his/her fellow human beings due to the fact that he/she is privy to very vital information that others don’t have. This vital information would always serve as a gateway to the success and growth of that individual. As the wise saying goes “knowledge is power”, so also the lack of knowledge renders one handicapped and ill-equipped to face the challenges of life. One should always be mindful of the fact that there is no difference between a person that can read and doesn’t read, with one that cannot read. Reading expands a person’s horizon and gives one a bigger glimpse of life; it gives one the rare opportunity of passing through other people’s experiences without living through it. This experience which a person acquires through reading makes a person sagacious in all endeavors. The secret behind the success of most great men and women such as: Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Aliko Dangote, Jimoh Ibrahim can be attributed to the love for reading. Any literature written is worth reading, due to the fact that no knowledge is a waste. Sooner or later whatever you read would be of great use to you, even to the point of saving your life. The question to ask at this point is “why should I read?” we are all advised to read in order to succeed in life. We should read for the following reasons: • To nurture our brains. • To improve our intelligence. • To be well informed. • To improve our vocabulary. • To develop self confidence. • To entertain ourselves. • To improve our academic performance. Based on the above reasons, reading makes us leaders in our various areas of interest. It was Brian Tracy who rightly stated “the fact is that you will become one of the best read, most knowledgeable, most expert and highest paid person in your field if you were to simply develop the habit of reading”. In the same line Charles Elliot deposited that “books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers”. So many people are oblivious of the fact that the obstacle that is in-between them and success is lack of vital information and knowledge; this is caused by their inability to read materials that contain useful information that would show them the path to success. Success is sort after by every living soul, but it eludes so many people due to their inability to understand that being successful is a process that can be attained especially through reading; without which one would still be far away from success. It is widely believed that people perish for lack of knowledge. It should be noted that knowledge will forever govern over ignorance; and the youths who desire to be leaders tomorrow must arm themselves with the power which information gives. Another vital question to ask is “what should I read?” No matter your age in as much as you have a burning desire to learn and succeed in your endeavour, the following books are recommended: • Academic books • History and Geography books • Biographies and Autobiographies • Philosophy and self development books • Artistic literature (imaginative works) • Newspapers, magazines and journals • Religious books It was Confucius who stated that “ no matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time to read”, This is true because each of us have 8,760 hours a year, a third of our time 2,920 hours goes for sleep. That leaves us with 5,840 hours a year of conscious active life. Out of this, we are expected to dedicate a minimum of 300 hours of our working time to reading. Based on the above, our performance in any mental activity would be outstanding. W. Fusselmen said “today a reader tomorrow a leader”. The last question to ask is “how should I read”. Knowing why to read is not enough to guarantee success, but to succeed in the art of reading, you must know how to read. Readers must develop a practical skill for reading. The first step to knowing how to read is to develop a reading plan (that is to create a reading timetable and sticking to it). Effective reading strategy is divided into three stages: • Preview: this is the act of pre reading a publication. Preview gives you a sense of what you intend to read and provide a sense of direction (survey and scan). • Views: This is the stage at which you simply read. It is the process of understanding the meaning of a text. One also gets the general knowledge of what the publication is all about (read with an open mind and also underline important points). • Review: Is the critical and analytical study of the information and ideas in a book or any publication, to achieve that you must do the following: 1. Revise your purpose. 2. Make notes. 3. Reflect. 4. Read repeatedly. You can also join study groups in order to improve on how to read. Dennis Burkitt said “it is better to read little and ponder a lot than to read a lot and ponder a little. We all must develop the habit of searching for information and knowledge through reading, because our future depends on it. No knowledge is a waste; learning is a continuous process till one dies. By visiting the library one can have access to good books; this would keep us ahead of our peers. The more informed we are the more power we have to shape our destiny and future as a people. A reader is a leader, because he knows what others don’t know and can take informed decisions which would take people to the next level. In conclusion, we as Akurmi youth must cultivate the habit of reading both for academic and empowerment purposes. The more we can acquire the more we can develop and progress as a people. it would only be apt to end with the statement credited to a great Nigerian, in the person of Jimoh Ibrahim, who stated “ I want to proof (sic) that you can make money from books. I have done that… I have one of the richest personal libraries in Nigeria. As you can see, I have a whole house of two floors as my library. This library has gulped 80million to books from London, CDs and tapes. I read a lot. I have books around me”.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:47:03 +0000
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