November 18, 2004
Reading is Fundamental
As stated in the great (now-defunct) Chicago musical comedy “Coed Prison Sluts“:
Reading is fundamental. It’s not just a catchy advertising slogan, it’s the TRUTH!
Sadly, I think that sentiment is slowly leaving our society. I encounter many people who don’t understand why I read for pleasure. I really don’t understand why that is a surprise. From the time I was young, books always pulled my attention well ahead of any other entertainment. As a child, I would forgo TV, eating, sleeping, for 24 hours or more to finish a book. Today, I even cherish air travel, because it gives me an excuse to buy a book and read uninterrupted for 5-6 hours. For me, reading is even like pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. I can’t put down books I don’t like, much less those I do.
I’ve always thought the book, 99% of the time, is better than the corresponding movie. A 200 page book packs in so much more thought, emotion, and material than a 2 hour movie ever will. In addition, it gives the mind a workout. Instead of relying on a cinematographer or director to present you with their vision of what characters look like, talk like, or act like, you have the chance to choose that for yourself. For all the work that Peter Jackson and a horde of pale-faced CG nerds spent, the book of the “Lord of the Rings” (cough Christmas gift cough) series is still much better than the movies.
Finally, reading offers much in the teaching of language. The next time you meet someone with a large vocabulary, I guarantee to you that they read regularly. The most expressive writer you know? He reads regularly. Reading not only exposes you to language, ideas, and the method of cohesive thought that may be new to you, it gives you better tools to use language, ideas, and craft intelligent thoughts of your own.
And for those of you who are interested, my favorite book is Atlas Shrugged.
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