Excuse me Madam, is that a book you are reading?

By Chipambaniso Chongo
I was a passenger on a mini bus, on my way from work a few years ago and just before the Kafue Road round-about, we got caught up in a traffic jam and for over an hour, we were parked in one spot, not moving. I think this was at the time Levy Junction was being built and Church Road had been closed to facilitate some road works. I knew not even the craftiest Flash bus driver was getting out of one of the worst traffic jams I had ever experienced and so I pulled out a copy of the Readers Digest from my handbag and begun to read it to pass the time whilst we waited for traffic to ease. A few minutes into an article about Michael J Fox, a gentleman sitting next to me said, Excuse me madam, is that a book you are reading? I looked up at him and said, Not exactly, its a Readers Digest. He then asked me a why I was reading it. I thought he wanted to attack my reading choice but in fact he was just trying to start a conversation with me about reading and for the next forty five minutes or so, we got into a discussion about what the gentleman termed an, almost non existent reading culture in Zambia. He was of the opinion that once people become functionally literate, they neglect to develop on their reading and writing skills by limiting themselves to just the books they need to read to get through primary and secondary education. He encouraged me to keep reading and recommended a few books he felt would be beneficial to me. I was so impressed. I love to read and it was refreshing to meet somebody that appeared to be a more avid reader than myself.

I resolved to buy more books for my nieces and nephews and to encourage in our home, a culture of reading books. Below are a few reasons why you should read widely and also encourage your children to read from a tender age: a) Reading makes you smarter: Unlike sitting in front of the television, watching a repeat episode of your favorite soap opera, reading makes you use your brain. While reading you would be forced to reason out many things which are unfamiliar to you. In this process you would use the grey cells of your brain to think and become smarter. In the words of Charles W Eliot,Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. b) Reading improves your vocabulary: Remember how in primary school you learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? You get the same benefit from book reading. While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldnt be otherwise. Reading also exposes you to different words and the more you read, the more you come across new words and you learn how to spell them, which in turn improves the way you communicate both verbally and in writing. I had an uncle that lived in the village but he had an excellent command of both written and spoken English that left people around him speechless because they assumed a villager would be illiterate. He didnt go far with his education but he loved to read so much that each time he would visit our home, he would ask me to keep my fathers old newspapers and magazines for him to read next time he visited. He was educating himself and loved to debate current affairs and would shock people into silence with his wide vocabulary and knowledge.

c) Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places of the world: Do you have dreams of travelling around the world but do not have the means to do it? Do the next best thing and read a book about the places you would want to visit. Reading gives you an insight into the diverse ethnicity of people around the world, their customs, their lifestyles etc. You become more aware about the different places and the code of conduct in those places. You get to travel with your imagination and should the opportunity ever arise, you are likely to enjoy the experience of visiting a foreign country more if you have read about it. d) Improves concentration and focus: Do you have trouble focusing and concentrating on the proceedings of meetings etc.? Make reading books a habit. Reading a book requires you to focus on what you are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Facebook posts, Tweets or e-mails that might contain small chunks of information, books tell the whole story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you will get better at concentration. e) Builds self-esteem: The more you read, the more knowledgeable you become. With more knowledge comes more confidence. More confidence builds self-esteem. So its a chain reaction. When you are so well read, people look to you for answers because you have the ability to articulate well. Your feelings about yourself can only get better. I often wonder if anorexia would be a major health issue in the western world if girls took time to read about health issues and had a better understanding of their bodies. Even in Zambia, if more women took time to read books about healthy lifestyles, perhaps we could change the general perception that being overweight is a sign of good living. As Andre Maurois says, The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from ones encounter with it in a book.

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Improves memory: Usually the first casualty of limited reading is spelling. A number of studies show that if you dont use your memory, you lose it. Crossword puzzles are an example of a word game that staves off memory loss. Reading, although not a game, helps you stretch your memory muscles in a similar way. Reading requires remembering details, facts and figures and in literature, plot lines, themes and characters. The gym for the mind is a good book.

g) Improves your discipline: Generally, we make time to read study manuals because we want to pass exams, but rarely do we schedule time to read books just for the sake of learning something different from what we consider our areas of professional expertise. Adding book reading to your daily schedule and sticking to it, improves discipline, especially for our children. h) Improves creativity: If you have ever attended workshops on motivation, no doubt you have heard the phrase,thinking outside the box. Well, reading about diversity of life and exposing yourself to new ideas and more information helps to develop the creative side of the brain as it imbibes innovation into your thinking process, enabling you to think outside the box and try out new ideas. i) You always have something to talk about: Have you ever found yourself in an embarrassing situation where you didnt have anything to talk about? Start reading. Reading widens your horizon of information. Youll always have something to talk about. You can discuss various plots in the novels you read, you can discuss the stuff you are learning in the business books you are reading as well. The possibilities of sharing become endless. However, this will only work if the people you are trying to have a conversation with also read widely so share a book today.

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Reduces boredom: One of my hobbies is reading. When I find myself with nothing to do, maybe as I travel, I will pick up a book and start reading. I have discovered that as I become interested in the books subject I stop being bored. If youre bored anyway, you might as well be reading a good book, dont you think so?

In conclusion, personal development can be greatly enhanced by reading widely. So do yourself a big favor and make it a habit to read a good quality book as often as you can.