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Well-arranged time is the surest mark of a well-arranged mind—Sir Isaac Pitman
My father once told me that it is often the busiest people who have time to spare.In this era of Covid-19 when time may well be abundant for many people especially teachers and students, one of the most essential exercises they can embark on is reading.
Reading is the least expensive means to travel around the universe. From the comfort of your room, under the soothing shade of a tree,or even whilst on a bus, one can comfortably engage in the pleasurable pastime of reading.The truth of the matter is that it can be done anywhere at any time.One can as well,through reading, spend time in any country in the world among people of differing cultures and clime whilst waiting for someone at the office for an appointment.Reading allows you a rare exposure to cultures, attitudes, beliefs and characters that are different from yours. Through reading, one can make friends across the world and become abreast of history. According to Robin Sharma,“It’s not what you will get out of the books that is so enriching – it is what the books will get out of you that will ultimately change your life.”
Books simply help you to see what is really within yourself. My personal experience of reading has exposed me to some of the finest treatment of topics, issues, themes and arguments that make me appreciate the abundance of living from abundant reading. My love for literature (especially novels) has exposed me to clever and sometimes, uncomfortable moral fables as well as taught me how to handle human values without holding back any sympathy for the wicked people.It has also allowed me the joy of celebrating with the heroes and wishing I couldhave the chance to be able to change the fates of characters like Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart and Constance Briscoe inUgly.
There are many perspectives from which one can approach the reading exercise.Firstly, you could be reading as a believer essentially seeking to reaffirm your latent convictions; or alternatively, reading as a doubter venturing out on a quest to clear up deep-seated niggling doubts.Additionally, the purpose of the reading exercise could be to explore,for example, how the rhetorical context and genre shape up the argument of a text. Also, readers could be seeking alternative views and analysing sources of disagreements. Finally, one could be reading to enable one use disagreements productively to prompt further investigations.
There are so many sources of materials to read once you endeavour to embark on a 30-minute per day reading journey.Be it the history of the Kulangos of Seikwa whose land has always exposed strangers to evil intents before they are hatched;the bravery displayed by the AshanteQueen Pokouwho led her people to establish the Boule Kingdom in Ivory Coast in that brilliant historical Akan myth by Veronique Tajou; or why in the epic Greek Mythology Medea will kill her own twin boys as a revenge for her lover, Jason’s betrayal, the most important thing is that you cultivate the habit of reading every and any material you come across. It is necessary for enlightenment and for broadening one’s scope of knowledge. The fact of the matter is that any wholesome readable material you can possibly lay your hands on is worth reading for a start. However, as you grow in reading, you will naturally learn to be selective and be able to do more reading in a week. My strong recommendation then is,‘read a book a week!’
Source: Samuel Kwasi Atta