Importance of reading

Letter December 21, 2023
Importance of reading

KARACHI:

Reading enhances your energy levels and cultivates an open, inclusive and empathetic mindset. It deepens your connection with the world offering a chance to understand others’ thoughts and feelings for personal growth. Engaging with both fiction and non-fiction books stimulates the release of endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine — these happy hormones contribute to a sense of worth, pleasure and happiness for the reader.

The culture of reading plays a crucial role in addressing social exclusion, elevating educational standards and fostering peace and harmony in society. Immersing children in reading not only enhances their critical thinking and creative reasoning but also develops their ability to question. Embracing a culture of reading cultivates tolerance, positivity and optimism, which can potentially contribute to the nation’s development and prosperity. Reading induces a pleasurable trance-like state in the brain, akin to meditation, and offers the same health benefits associated with deep relaxation and inner calm.

Frequent readers enjoy better sleep, experience lower stress levels, possess higher self-esteem and exhibit lower rates of depression compared to those who do not engage in regular reading. Unfortunately, our educational institutes lack a culture of reading largely due to a rote-learning-based education system that confines students to a myopic and outdated syllabus. Educational institutes must promote a reading culture and implement meaningful changes in teaching methodologies and assessment policies. Students should be encouraged to explore books across diverse subjects such as science, history, politics, economy, astronomy and religion. By promoting a reading culture, we can foster rationality and critical thinking in society.

Zakir Ullah

Mardan

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2023.

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