If I could’ve given myself one piece of advice at the beginning of this year, it would have been to read more. That’s not to say these two simple words would have saved me from the mess that I am, but they would have helped me tremendously. Both literally and figuratively, reading more would have taught me more about the world around me, the people around me, and myself. While picking up a book is important, I feel more inclined to share why reading has another meaning.

Reading into people is important. During my morning Twitter scrolls posts about how it’s cool to not care always make an appearance. The retweet that broadcasts the “IDGAF” attitude, encouraging those feelings are dumb. I am the first to admit that I have retweeted these tweets, trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t think too much into things or that an argument with someone wasn’t that big of a deal or whatever the situation may be. But now, looking back, I should care. When did we get to a point where “I don’t care” was the solution to every bump in the road we faced? Since when did it become okay to dismiss people’s feelings, including your own, because we didn’t want to read into feelings and care?

To read somebody means to fully delve into a conversation and listen to what the person is saying. In my communications course I learned that listening is just as active as an action as talking is. It requires thought, engagement, and curiosity. Reading into people would have taught me more about them. It would have showed me how to handle situations accordingly, rather than ignoring them because I didn’t know how to address them. With that being said, over reading situations can be damaging. There comes a point where you have to be proud with the amount of effort you put into something. If the other person doesn’t listen, doesn’t respond, or doesn’t care, you read yourself and find out what’s best for you.

Reading people or situations is not as easy as flipping through a novel (especially when it’s romantic fiction written by your favorite author). It is, however, important to do because it’s important to care. So maybe, just maybe, this upcoming year I will learn to just read more.