Often people think of reading as vital for young kids, reading to them during their formative years will help them linguistically and help them comprehend and understand more effectively. Unfortunately, many lose reading as they grow up and progress throughout school and their lives. I personally know a few people who I go to school with, who only read what is required of them from class, and nothing more. Reading is important especially while in school. Students have access to libraries, bookstores, school bookstores and even online resources. It is my belief that reading not only involves constructive thought, but it also invokes conversation and debate. Being a college student, politics, ideologies, opinions, statements, and research is 'thrown' at us from all directions and sources. But if one does chooses not to expand on those ideas with other sources of literature, then how can they become a better student?
Politics, sex, alcohol, love, friendship, self-discovery are all among the many topics that apply directly to a college student. While our brains and bodies have developed, it is important to seek knowledge while we have the time to do it. Unfortunately, in a few short years, the action of seeking knowledge amongst the responsibilities of a job, family, and running a home are slim. Seeking these pieces of information not only makes us more aware of the world, but it also allows us to generate our own concrete opinion on a specific topic. News headlines for example, are a quick, loud, big and almost childish in terms of their delivery, but that is how they can quickly grasp the attention of the masses. If these headlines were to be isolated by themselves, then odds are that they would not provide any background information on the topic. I also believe that these headlines that are constantly being blasted with on a daily basis also desensitize us to what is actually occurring.
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Reading allows for an individual to expand on what they already know and also find new interests and hobbies that they might be interested in pursuing. More than that though, reading allows for the ability to communicate more intelligently. If I know something about a legislation or a recent political decision, but the person that I am having a conversation with is not versed on the subject, then how will that be an effective exchange? More often than not, I find that when people find themselves at an impasse, they resort to raising their voice, gestures, misinformed statements or worse, violence. There is no debating, there is no mature conversation, therefore there is no progress.
People (myself included), often fall into the psychological trap of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is a phenomena that leads an individual to interpret new facts as a confirmation of their already pre existing bias and mindset. I find that taking what I believe and then reading and researching about the polar opposite helps combat that. While I may already have my biases about a topic, reading the opposing viewpoint of the same argument can at the very least, allow me to see what the other side believes. Just because politically, socially or religiously an individual leans a certain way, that does not mean that they should not open to reading and learning about another angle contrary to their beliefs. Confirmation bias, coupled with the lack of reading for many individuals, creates a situation where they are dependent on other outlets that can feed them information. These outlets can convey a message that can confirm their own bias, which are viewed by people who are also confirming their biases. This vicious cycle can lead to a population that is horrifyingly misinformed, don't fall prey to that. Pick up a book and read it.
