in Observations, Society 573 Words

Reading Is Fundamental

Another Sunday and I would like to post about a subject that is dear to me…..books and reading.

As I grew up my mother and the family made it clear that the only way to move forward in life is with a good education…..After high school I decided to enter the US Army….my mother was disappointed because she wanted me to go to college…..after Vietnam I took my GI Bill and went to and finished college….everyone in the family was proud and happy, especially my mother…..

I gave my daughter a desire for knowledge and she reads constantly and my granddaughter has the desire also even in this age of electronics.

But then it became some sort of anti-American position to be educated…..we are called “apologist” “bleeding hearts” “elitists”….I find the disturbing….because look at any rise to power of a dictator and what are the first people they take out…..the educated……and intellectuals.  I find it disturbing when an education is a minus in society…..but I kinda expect it now that expanding your knowledge is looked down on by some.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”  Franklin

“My Alma mater was books, a good library… I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”  Malcolm X
“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”  Locke
“A closed mind is a dead mind”  GW Watkins

But enough of that……I read about two books a week…no fiction…I have NO time for bullshit…….but now I am told that reading is a good thing…..

Reading books does more than ward off dementia: It also increases your lifespan, according to Yale researchers. In fact, the more time a person spends reading, the less likely they are to die. Researchers asked 3,635 people over 50 about their reading habits, then checked back in after 12 years. They found reading books for up to 3.5 hours per week—or an average of 30 minutes per day—lowered a person’s risk of death by 17%, reports the New York Times. People who read books for more than 3.5 hours per week enjoyed a 23% lower risk of death. Researchers say books encourage “cognitive engagement” and “promote empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival,” per the Guardian.

People who read newspapers and magazines also had a “survival advantage” over people who didn’t read at all, but it was significantly less than with book readers, who were predominantly female, college-educated, and earning a high income. “Books engage the reader’s mind more—providing more cognitive benefit, and therefore increasing the lifespan,” a researcher explains. Overall, 33% of non-readers died after 12 years, compared to 27% of book readers. Book readers also lived two years longer than non-readers on average. “These findings suggest that the benefits of reading books include a longer life in which to read them,” researchers say, per UPI, urging people to pick up a book rather than the remote. (This generation is said to read the most.)

Maybe I will start a podcast….Breakfast And a Book……whatcha think?

Maybe all these mentally challenged conspiracy theorists should try reading a book….they might learn something……but somehow I do not think that is their desire….do you?

Enjoy your day my friends and I will return tomorrow to keep you thinking…..

24 thoughts on “Reading Is Fundamental”

  3. Hello chuq……..
    I survived childhood by being a bookworm…..still am.
    I trust you do not think I am a conspiracy theorist…coz I ain’t mentally challenged…
    I do find it odd that some conspiracy theorist have got their finger on the nail….not all of course.
    Truth is stranger than fiction…..
    Remember. who invented that theory…..CIA…if I recall.
    Mind you, I am not a member of the flat earth society…but then again it is all an illusion….bought for and paid for by Wall street….
    Hot Dog anyone?
    but mind the relish…
    Happy Hunting…
    🙂
    hugz

    Reply

    1. Relish with mustard and onions….books are eternal…..always enjoy a good book….enjoy the rest of your Sunday….chuq

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    1. He vowed to “rub raw the sores of discontent” and compel action through agitation….

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  5. Sounds like George Soros & clans …..a most unpleasant man….seems to me the Left/Right factions miss the point….ah,the best laid plans of mice and men….

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  7. Hehehe….I’m back with relish…. 😉
    4 awhile until u tire of me….

    Reply

      1. I meant to tell you that ‘critical thinking’ evolved from the Occupy movement in London….they lecture within the open university here….good people…no hierarchy and full of common sense…basic income & et al (which is a lot)……I am doing my best to support them….

  8. Non violence & the way to be rid of the structual elite………education basically….it will take a long time…which means people must start unlearning their history……not to say waking up…..marching is useless….as someone said it is like masturbation….grin. These activists really need to learn their history properly & that means not from ur current history books.
    Meanwhile the media continue to pile out the shit….it is endless….we are fighting hard on this side!
    Corbyn is getting more bashing…the knives are out again…he is somewhat naive but means well… ;(

    Reply

      1. Both Cheeks of the Same Ass!
        😉
        u r small fry…grin… me too…
        another zio fuker after me..again…u will get it…:(
        🙁

  11. Such a wonderful read! Reading is a joy that brings immense benefits and helps nurture our brain. It is important that this habit is instilled in youngsters so that they can make a difference in their lives. But due to the nature of technology and the consumption of information nowadays, this culture is diminishing day by day. Which is why it become all the more important to educate people and make them encourage the young ones to believe in the power of books. I am doing such a social campaign that helps to achieve that aim. It would be beneficial for all of us if you could check us out at https://thereadingladder.wordpress.com/ or on https://www.facebook.com/readingladder/

    Reply

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