by Willow Jackson

Created on: December 27, 2008

Movies vs. Reading, which will win

With me, reading wins hands down. I am an avid reader. My nose is usually in a book or I'm reading something on-line. Books are so much better than movies. Movies today are remakes of old films or they are books that have been made into a movie. When people make books into movies they hardly ever do the book justice. So that filmmakers can stay under budget and keep the movie with a suitable timeframe a lot of important things are cut out or changed to fit.

When reading a book you can curl up in a bed or your favorite chair and immerse yourself into the story your reading. Books give you more detail and description. You can feel the story when you're reading and become entrapped into it. With books you can experience the story and travel within your mind whereas with movies you really can't.

Reading a book can give you days or weeks of entertainment. Movies only last for a couple of hours. Books are one of the ways we learn and explore. Reading is a way for our minds to get mental exercise. Working the brain reduces the risk for mental deceleration in older age. Mental fitness for the brain is the same as physical fitness for the body. A fit brain and a fit body are the key to a healthy life.

Kids today don't read enough. You could ask classroom which they'd rather do, read a book or watch a movie. Eighty percent would say they'd rather watch a movie. Kids spend too much time inside watching TV instead of being outside and playing. Reading is something children can do outside and get fresh air. I don't believe the saying "TV rots the brains", however; I do think that TV can be too addictive for younger children and teens. Watching too much of television can be a bad thing.

Parents can screen books easier than they can movies. It's hard to make sure that your child isn't watching movies that are not age appropriate, but you can easily buy books for them to read and know they will be age appropriate. A lot of movies contain violence and sexual content that is easy for adults to overlook but very noticeable to children.

The old classic movies from the fifties are hard to find but are great to watch when you do find them. Classic books from authors like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and many more are republished periodically and easy to find. The classic are timeless and a wonderful read for the whole family. I enjoy reading the classics.

I enjoy being able to read for hours on end and be so entrapped by a story that nothing around me can bother me. I love being able to walk down the dirt road to an old farm or traveling in a horse and buggy to the undiscovered territory in the west. Books are an easy way to escape from the day and go to another time and place for a while without having to leave your chair.

I like my movies too but books will always be my favorite.

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