by Lisa Divirgilio

Created on: December 10, 2008

Why do I read? I read because it's an escape from the ordinary into a new world, a change of pace and a chance to be with myself. I read because it's a fundamental skill that I never want to lose. I read because I know that I have so much to learn, despite being educated.

Reading is one of the few activities left that allows individuals to have visions, experiences and emotions through their own sense of interpretation. It allows for a completely imaginary existence between the reader and the written word.

Many readers who go to see a movie that was made from a book claim to be disappointed, saying that they "saw" the character another way or "believed" that he meant something else when he spoke versus when he acted it out on the big screen. This type of enactment can often ruin the text for the reader, which is the fundamental base behind the movie. The enactment, as we know, is how the director read the book, thus further proving that everyone sees what they read differently. This may be the only time in our visually over-stimulated world that we do, so we should definitely not take the opportunity for granted to slip into our own worlds for a moment.

Reading also allows for development of the mind. By reading, I am continuously learning about something new. Beyond this feeding my naturally curious (code word for nosey) personality, it also helps me understand real life situations better, as I have been given a view point that I did not have prior to reading.

We learn to read and interpret text at a very young age, many learning the alphabet before kindergarten. Most of us truly enjoy reading at this stage in our life - yet when does this turn awry? When can one pinpoint the moment they found reading a chore? Was it when we graduated from Dr. Seuss to global history text books? Or maybe, it was even before that. Maybe it was when we began to have to read text as an assignment and not as enjoyment. Anything assigned most likely loses its ability to be thought-provoking and fun at a young age.

Reading within our culture seems so out of date due to our fast attention spans. We have the interactive Internet to rely on now, and with all the links and advertisements that surround my article, I am surprised you are still reading it. Reading is the one activity that allows us to slow down in our fast paced worlds, even if just for a minute. And that's good enough for me to continue reading.

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