Everyone says reading is important, but why?

Image source: Unsplash by Laetitia Buscaylet

We always get advice to read more. But why is reading so important? Here are 5 reasons why I think everyone must read.

1. Reading is the least energy consuming activity that produces the largest returns.

Lifting weight trains my focus and improves my strength, but it expends a ton of both physical and mental energy. Watching YouTube video needs no energy, but I regain nothing at the end of the day. Reading, on the other hand, helps me gain wisdom with minimal effort.

2. A reliable source to help shape your identity. (This depends on what you read)

I don’t think we have an innate identity from Day 1 of our life. Even if we do, our environments — where we live, what we consume (physically, mentally, intellectually), and who we hang out with — influence our identity. Good books are better sources compared to movies, video games, and TV shows.

3. You can only die once, but you can live many times.

Learning from experiences is the best form of learning in term of the retention rate. However, it has its limitation. You only have so many time to learn in your lifetime. But when you read, you gain ideas, wisdom, and insights that took the authors 20 years to figure out — in 20 minutes.

4. Reading expands your worldview and challenges your existing assumptions about the world.

Many people stop being a student as soon as they got out from school. It’s a natural human behavior to assume what we see, learn, and know is the absolute truth. People who read know they are not always right — and dare to seek for the answers.

5. To write better, you need to read more.

How do you think writers have so much to say? We don’t. In fact, almost everything I’ve ever written is something I read from somewhere else. To produce great work, you need to consume great works. If you’re a writer having writer’s block right now, stop writing, go pick up a book.

I read a lot less (and slower) compared to many avid readers, a lot more compared to people who don’t read at all. Here is a system I’m using to read regularly.