Reading is fundamental

It is no secret that I like to read. I believe reading is the number one skill no child should be without. If a person can read, they can access any other skill. I was thinking this morning that it is a crazy time to be a writer, because it seems fewer and fewer people are reading. I suggested a book to a person and he told me he doesn’t read, no time for that. He will only consider audio books.

But then the book of Romans tells us that faith comes by hearing, right?

(Romans 10:17)

Okay, that is the same thing, right? You still get the book into your brain. Or do you? I am not sure… I know that when I spent three hours a day on the road, I learned an awful lot from teaching tapes. (In the before time, we called audiobooks “Books on Tape”.) Quite a bit of listening during that drive helped keep me sane.  So, I have nothing against audiobooks. I just know for me, I get more from reading because I am forced to focus on the page. When I am listening, I can have several distractions going on at the same time. That seems like it just HAS TO diminish the learning. I mean, I was driving! I had a lot of things going on that required my attention.

Now, mind you, I do read from good old paper as well as all electronic formats. (I love reading all my kindle books on my phone…) I haven’t listened to a good book for quite a while. I think I can see a way to supercharge my learning by listening to an audiobook while following along in the print copy. More inputs into the gray matter will reinforce everything you see and hear in unison.

Whatever… I would like to challenge you all to read more. Listen more. Talk less. Two ears, two eyes, one mouth.

 

 

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