In this video, lyricist, poet, author Akala breaks down why we should recognise the importance of reading and start seeing it as being ‘sexy’ to expand your knowledge.
The importance of reading is not given enough attention in our society. Actually, it’s probably even more important to specify what type of reading. Most young people nowadays would say they read every day. That would be true as they read text messages and Twitter daily without fail. Of course, that is not the type of reading we are talking about.
What we need to do is to start making knowledge of self is more important and more trendy than brandishing wealth. The statement ‘knowledge is power gets banded around a lot but its relevance is not to be underestimated. The ones with the true power in this world today are not necessarily the ones with military might or weapons of mass destruction. It is those that have taken the time to read and study human behaviour and have garnered an understanding of our species beyond what most of us know.
The reason why a lot of us feel like we are always victims of manipulation is because we generally are. The more you read and understand, the more you will be able to take control of your mind and your life. Once you begin to do this, so much more will be opened up to you. To put the importance of reading, we can look to the simple words of Dr Seuss;
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
The more you read, the easier and more enjoyable it will become to you. Reading will open up so many opportunities to you that you didn’t even recognise before. Self-empowerment, critical thinking, and keener communication skills and just some of the benefits you will get from reading more. If you want to build a legacy worthy of respect, then the importance of reading is not to be overlooked.
