The One Skill Everyone Should Use

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.

(by Dr. Seuss from I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!)

Living in the era of the Internet, it seems that reading has become somewhat obsolete and drab. There seem to be less and less people picking up a book to read and compare to the glitz of television and countless online media, a regular book seems to go the way of vinyl records and Commodore 64s. Although it would be hard to argue against this popular technologically driven trend, I would still like to propose reasons for the usefulness of reading for this current generation and for many generations to come.

Why We Should Continue to Read

1) Reading Uses the Brain - Our brain and its network of neural processors are still far above and beyond the best supercomputers out there (Computer vs. Brain article). Like most parts of our body, the brain strengthens with continual use and exercise. When you read, the brain will automatically access your imagination and conjure up images to the words you are reading. When you watch videos or other visually intense media, the brain is actually becoming less active because it no longer has to create images but rather just passively observe them. The more dependent one becomes on visual images as opposed to those the brain creates, the weaker the brain's imagination becomes. It is similar to someone attempting to gain driving experience just by sitting in the passenger seat of the car. For those who watch movies of popular books (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The DaVinci Code, Chronicles of Narnia, 21, Jurassic Park or Harry Potter) instead of reading the actual books, you don't know what you are missing. I have personally never watched a movie that was better than the book.

2) Stand on the Shoulders of Giants - Most material from the great people of history are chronicled in books. Reading their stories will not only advise you on what to do but also on what not to do. Many pitfalls common to the human race have been written about countless times and those who have read such stories are able to avoid the "hard way" of learning life's lessons. Secondly, there are books about every subject out there. If you want to learn more, reading is a must. "Don't follow your mentors, follow your mentors' mentors" (David Leach)

3) Successful People are Avid Readers - On almost every list describing successful people, reading seems to be a prerequisite to success. "Leaders are Readers" is a popular slogan amongst motivational speakers and it is not hard to see why. Reading is perhaps one of the best (simple, effective and cheap) ways to broaden our horizons and to expose ourselves to new thought patterns. These new thought patterns are then fused with our current patterns thus expanding the capabilities of our mind. It is no coincidence that noteworthy CEOs (Steve Jobs - Apple, Phil Knight - Nike and Dee Hock - Founder of VISA) have libraries proportionate to their success.

If you want to make a positive change in your life and break out of your current state of affairs, I recommend picking up a book to read to stir up your thinking. Most people that want to change their lives usually pick up "self-help" books but again you fall into the trap of becoming passive and simply following instructions. Read books of all genres and pick something you enjoy. Sometimes if you want to change your circumstances, you don't need a change of environment but rather a change of thought. Although you can certainly find things to read on the Internet, books, especially time tested classics, are held to a high standard as oppose to some information on the Internet, which is largely unregulated. Don't get me wrong, the Internet has made access to quality information a lot easier than before but the "uploaders" of content are not screened and misinformation is easily guised as expert commentary.

Perhaps my elementary school librarian was right all along: Reading IS Fundamental (RIF)

To make things easier, most libraries have upgraded to systems where books can be requested online to be sent to a library location convenient for the patron. If you are not sure what to read, check out the Seemingly Useless Recommended Readings or the NY Times Bestsellers.

Recommended Readings: Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence and Rubáiyát by Omar Khayyam