Why we read books?

Photo by Jarry lee/Buzz feed

It was unbearably sad for me to answer this question. A friend of mine stated that learning from other means such as TV, movies and other videos are more fun and less time consuming than to dwell on books for hours. By all means that is true. There are tones of amazing Hollywood movies which offer knowledge on numerous genres. So why do people turn to books when it can be finished in just two hours of video?

What do books offer? 

Here is a Quora answer by Andrew Weil.

"Books have been the primary repository of human knowledge since writing was invented.  Because of books, each generation can stand on the knowledge that has been previously accumulated.  We don't have to reinvent the wheel, because the way to design a wheel has been recorded in books.  We don't have to rediscover the principles of geometry, or calculus, or biochemistry, or nuclear physics, or agriculture, or the best way to barbecue ribs, because this information is stored and accessible through books.

Moreover, books have been a primary means of expressing creativity and imagination.  We can wander in Oz with Dorothy; tilt at windmills with Don Quixote; enjoy London with Pickwick; learn if the Galactic Empire will fall and rise again in accordance with Hari Seldon's predictions; solve mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, Hercule Poirot, or Kinsey Millhone; explore Barsoom with John Carter; journey to Mount Doom in Mordor with Frodo and Sam; experience the passion of Romeo for Juliet, or Cleopatra for Antony."

There is nothing wrong with watching tutorials, movies or its equivalent, but they are just passive absorption of knowledge. I believe and most so many people would that reading helps you develop the different dimensions of learning. It will advance your thinking along with your language skills and cognitive abilities. It’s a great way to pursue knowledge and consume entertainment at the same time.

Other Medias are great but can’t be a substitute for reading. Here are 10 reasons why.

1. Studies show that reading increases empathy and reading books can help develop social skills.

2. Reading gives us chance to think how great thinkers think.

3. You don’t miss the details because reading is linear. You grow with the character. The problems he faced the action he did. It all provides you in great details that allow you to see the bigger picture. And somewhere sometime in your life you see the bigger picture amid your problems.

4. Reading increases your vocabulary and increases your ability to express your ideas better. You can put your argument more effectively.

5. Reading helps to see beyond immediate possibilities. We build something on the foundation of knowledge and imagine stepping on the current knowledge.

6. Only few selected books are developed into movies, there are thousands of books you can learn from.

7. Because when you see videos, it touches you for a moment or a day. But reading gets into your head for weeks and some principle there guides you for life.

8. Reading might be a hard task, but intellectually rewarding.

9. And this quote just hit the bull’s eye, “Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body” But so are the other educational videos or movies. The only difference is what impact you wish to have. Whether you want to burn calories with hard planks or simple stretching. 

10. Go read and find yourself. :)

You don’t NEED to read books, but if you do, you will find it amazing, amusing and entertaining. We read for information. We value the good writing and not the act of reading.You will be the first hand active consumer of knowledge. The problem with videos or movies is that they are set with the view point of the maker. How the director sees it or how he wants to make people see. With books you are consuming the information first hand.

If I can go back in time, I will tell my early 20 being to learn to read faster and read more books. I don’t know if any of these make sense to you but as you have come this far on my writing I suppose you also love reading. And if you have not read much until now, I suggest you to start reading, below is one more reason why :P  

photo by Jarry lee/Buzz feed