Reading: A Super Power That Can't Be Hacked
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[Image by ioanamtc @ Pixabay]
Dear Reader,
The UK is in trouble. So are we - readers, in general.
In ‘State of the Nation in Adult Reading’ report, the Publisher’s Weekly cites a recent study. The study pinpoints that nearly half of UK’s adults (46%) struggle to read due to distractions. Notably, 31 % adults admit they struggle to finish what they are reading. Younger adults, around 48% in the age group spanning 25-34 years, say they find it difficult to read due to distractions.
Curious to know what are these ‘distractions’? Ask yourself: “Ami reading enough?”
What stops most people from reading?
The study cites the following:
Lack of free time
Changes in mental health or physical health
Major life events
Changes in screen time
Digital habits
In India, I feel glad to see more people reading books, particularly in public spaces such as while travelling. You can walk into any airport and find people engrossed in reading books while waiting for their flights. As a habit, I travel with 2-3 books so that I can read during a journey.
Uninterrupted time is a goldmine for readers to dive into.
[Image by Hermann Kollinger @ Pixabay]
In Durian Sukegawa’s bestselling novel, Sweet Bean Paste, which Cecelia Ahern, author of ‘PS I love you’, described as “I’m in story heaven with this book”, there is a heartwarming conversation between Tokue, an old woman and Sentaro, who sells doriyaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste.
“I liked poetry. I used to read poetry when I was young. Like Heine and Hakushu Kitara and other poets…in books I found in my brother’s room.”
“Goodness, Tokue. You are full of surprises…”
“Reading and imagining things was about the only pleasure we had in those days. I loved using my imagination. That’s why I thought it interesting you wanted to be a writer.”
(PS: If you haven’t read this book, I insist you must!)
In this candid conversation, note how Sentaro is taken by surprise when he hears that Tokue, an old woman, is a voracious reader of poetry.
His response is, “You are full of surprises.”
This is a universal sentiment. Across any part of the world, when you express a love for poetry, this is the candid response one usually finds.
Sri Ramana Maharishi is known to have said, “In deep sleep, there is no I.”
It’s the same when you read poetry or any book deeply - there is no I.
You cease to exist - but the story lives through your inward gaze. It comes alive - like magic.
The best part is that no one can take it away from you.
My love for collecting and buying books is well-known.
In fact, we have a running joke in my family: “If anyone comes to rob our home, they will be mortified because they will find only books, nothing else.”
I am one of those quirky travellers who went to Dubai and came back with books instead of gold jewellery.
Truth is, I am envious of people who read more than me!
I want to read all the books in this world. I know, we can’t really read them all, we can only try.
And that’s why incorporating reading into your family’s traditions is essential.
good old read
Why is reading important in the early years?
