Reading for a Better Future
Nowadays, reading seems to be out-dated for the existing generation especially in Indonesia. People do not favour reading as a fun activity to do anymore. However, reading does give us many benefits. When we talk about reading in the present context, it is not always about reading printed versions but also reading the digital ones, which are more popular. We will discuss further about the benefits that come within reading itself and later we will find what the relation is to learning English.
There are many benefits found from reading regularly, but we will discuss the significant ones. Firstly, reading broadens your knowledge. As we know that there is a lot of information we can get from reading, it means we can stay updated with what is around us. We will not be left behind because we are not updated with the current situation because we read. However we need to pay attention to the sources as well. We have to make sure if the sources are trustworthy and provide valid information since there is too much false information and hoaxes surrounding us. We have to be wise looking for information that we need and not to be misled by it. If we read a lot, we will be more open-minded about many things in this world. We will not easily trust whatever people around us say because we can read to clarify the information.
Second, reading can improve your creativity. In this era, it is really easy for us to find about the things we want to know once we have a mobile phone and internet connection. We also tend to entertain ourselves and can even find ideas or opinions when we have a task to do. However if we are comfortable with just watching streaming news or films and enjoy what is already there. We may not have the desire to create something new. If we get used to reading, we indirectly help ourselves become creative. We sharpen our way of thinking and imagination which helps us think outside of the box. We are not limited by what is already there. We have the eagerness to improve and create something new. This is really good especially if we train the reading habits since early childhood. The next generation will be full of creative people.
Third, reading helps us to avoid dementia. It is suggested that we read every day so we can keep our brain active by thinking regularly and processing the information we get from the reading. As we know, having dementia could be a serious problem and if we can do something to prevent it from happening, why not? We just need to read as much as possible so our brains will be trained to process the information stored in our memory.
The three reasons explained are the strong reasons for us to start reading or to read more. In addition, if we correlate reading and English, yes, there is a strong correlation between those two things. As we know, when we learn English, we need to have a good mastery of vocabulary. We might not realise that reading benefits us a lot. By reading, we can broaden our vocabulary. We can get new words to improve our English skills just from reading itself. Then, what should we do to improve our English skills through reading? Of course, we must buy some English books to read. However it is hard for us to directly go to complex books, we can try from something simple and light such as comics or magazines to read. If we start from something we like, we will eventually develop our interests in reading more serious books or articles.
During the reading process, we will surely find some new words that we never knew before and that is how we learn English. We can take notes of those new words and look up the dictionary for the meaning and other sample sentences. If we do so, we will have many new words once we finish our reading materials, so you can imagine how many words you will know if you keep on reading. Not only will your vocabulary be broadened but your grammatical awareness will be indirectly improved through the reading. You will gradually notice the different tenses that are used in different books and how it is supposed to be used. It also means that your grammatical skills will improve eventually.
By reading more, we could change the world. It sounds cliché but it is true. When we change ourselves to have better views of what is around us, we will become people who have a good understanding of this world. We do not limit ourselves with what is already there but we expect and even create what is not there in a positive way because of reading.
All in all, reading can make our next generation better. When the next generation is trained through reading, they will have a better future than us. We can imagine that our next generation will be full of intelligent, open-minded, thoughtful and creative people. Having that kind of people in the future, our world will become a better place to live in. Therefore, reading for a better future is something we have to start now when it is possible. We cannot just sit there and see what is going on. We have to take part in the changes; it is not too late for us. Even if we feel it is too late, we still have our kids or the next generation to be led to a better future.
