Declining enthusiasm for reading

BY Eyram Hamid Khan
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Joseph Addison.
The Joseph Addison quotation highlights the importance of reading. Reading and exercise are comparable in that reading is good for mind, just as exercise is for body. Unfortunately, the younger generation now regards his remarks as humorous. The human mind experiences cognitive dissonance and cognitive faculty damage due to the diminished interest in reading.
Rapid advancements in digital technology and widespread use of internet have led to a decline in reading culture, which has left society arid, provocative, biased, subjective, and myopic. The most captivating tool that allows people to access their innate intelligence and wisdom is reading. It gives them the ability to transform a society. Additionally, it fosters diversity in our thinking, driving out irrationality and bolstering our intelligence. Over the ages, the human mind has struggled with cerebral sluggishness and a lack of problem-solving ability. Reading books also promotes rationality, cognitive awareness, and reasoning. It also teaches you how to think clearly, approach problems strategically, conduct yourself politely, and draw well-informed conclusions.
Influenced by earlier human awareness, this has been noteworthy. Consciousness has changed and grown over time. As a result, anything is conceivable in the technologically enhanced world we live in today. Intellectuals in the past organized their ideas and thoughts into books, magazines, and novels in an effort to create a systematic understanding of people and the cosmos. Furthermore, the Holy Quran emphasizes the value of reading and the necessity of obtaining information. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) is reported to have stated in one of the hadiths that "seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim." The first word of our Holy Quran to come down from above to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) was the word "IQRA," which means to read.
Over the course of its history, Islam has placed a strong focus on the value and significance of reading. Throughout the history of the Muslim world, libraries have played a crucial role in the development of many important Muslim cities. Muslims establish the practice of reading as a tradition that is gradually disappearing. All people should strive to gain a wealth of information, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, caste, age, or gender. Information from history allows us to learn from our mistakes and empowers us to question myths, superstitions, ignorance, and irrationality.
There are several advantages to reading for both social and personal development. It contributes significantly to the development of the nation and its citizens, offers a wealth of information to eradicate ignorance, and broadens one's perspective on good judgment and thought. Reading improves reasoning skills and analytical thinking, giving us the ability to debate any topic and refute any urban legend—sometimes even our own beliefs, morals, and ideas. It also helps people to be able to reason well and rationally during a dispute. Through reading, one is encouraged to evaluate, inquire, and reason. Reading fosters in readers the ability to analyze, be creative, objective, imaginative, and think abstractly. It also gives them the dexterity to solve problems. Reading can help a reader learn or study history, various cultures, ideologies, origins, and dynamics, as well as help them solve the maze-like riddle. Reading makes it easier to understand conduct and character, as well as minds and faces. You become tolerant and unaffected by opposing viewpoints when you read. It offers lots of chances to grow in terms of behavior, values, character, and personality. Furthermore, it solidifies the information bank and exposes false reality, opening the eyes of rationality and awareness while shutting the eyes of pessimism, prejudice, intolerance, ignorance, hatred, and conservatism. Lastly, and perhaps most crucially, reading improves mental health by reducing stress, worry, and depression while also teaching us to adapt to any new situations we meet. A 2009 study from the University of Sussex found that reading improves brain function and can lower stress by as much as 68%.
The disappearance of reading culture cannot be attributed to a single factor; rather, a number of variables are contributing to its demise. Limited access to books is a major factor contributing to the reduction, especially in rural and poorer areas where people struggle with transportation-related challenges and lack libraries for study purposes. It is also exacerbated by the rapidly rising cost of books and the scarcity of public libraries in the area. Lack of well-stocked libraries in even universities and schools makes it challenging for students to obtain the books. Our deficient and antiquated educational system, which places a stronger emphasis on memorization and exam-focused preparation, is the second most important issue. Digital distraction is the third factor contributing to the decline of reading culture. Instead of fostering critical thinking and a conceptually oriented thought process, it encourages copy culture, rote learning, and responses and queries that lack logic. The widespread use of electrical gadgets, digital media, and social networking apps has had a significant impact on reading culture, distracting young people from reading and immobilizing them in front of screens. Social and economic limitations are the fourth element contributing to the decline in reading: those who are below the poverty line already struggle to meet their basic necessities and cannot afford to buy pricey books.
Lack of awareness and interest in reading is the fifth element that is significantly contributing to the discouragement of the reading culture. There are no national or local awareness campaigns aimed at educating young people about the value of reading and its advantages. Book fairs and literary gatherings in the middle of cities, colleges, and schools used to be commonplace in our society, but they are gradually disappearing.
To encourage reading, libraries ought to be constructed in every city. The Indian government has to start a nationwide effort to encourage a love of reading, much like National Book Trust (NBT), which was founded in 1957 with the goals of publishing excellent books at fair prices and encouraging the public to read. Additionally, every sector of the government should be included in the launch of awareness programs. It is the responsibility of educators at all levels of education to actively incorporate reading into all subjects and help pupils develop a daily reading habit. It is important for parents to play a key role in fostering a reading habit in their children. Parents should teach their kids to read newspapers, write essays and columns, and do book reviews in addition to critical reading. Book festivals are a great way for NGOs and other civil society members to get involved. If combined efforts from every sector to promote reading culture are not abandoned or discouraged, reading culture can be maintained and prevented from declining.