It’s not amusing that a lot of articles and researches have been conducted on the sharp decline in children reading for pleasure. According to a U.S. study, the number of American children who say they love reading books in 2014 has dropped almost 10% from 2010. Researchers had also found reading for pleasure has decreased after the age of 8.
Nonetheless, teenagers should not be blamed. The world has revolved, so does the upbringing of children, and that includes Generation Y and Z that lives in the 21st century. We don’t just aimlessly surf the Internet on our laptops and go on our smartphones all day long for nothing. Our homework’s lifesaver are web URLs and we will die if our 4-year old sister or brother reformat our gadgets by accident, or that’s how parents want us to think. We have wasted our pocket money for monthly Internet data that doesn’t even last for two weeks to not just rant on Twitter but also do extra jobs and assignments in order to expand our capabilities career-wise and have a stronger portfolio to list down for our university applications. It is not that we do not want to read. We would love to indulge on chic-lit novels while sipping a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day, but we have so many things that keep us running on our feet until we do not have time to even sleep.
Although I have given lots of clarification to defend us, teenagers, it is still not an excuse for you to shut yourself down from the world and don’t know what is happening around you. It is still not an escapade to not train your mind to imagine situations that you cannot see visually. To fit in with our hectic lifestyles, here’s The Lazy Guide for you to eventually read when you don’t have the time to read, or you just simply don’t want to read.
- Follow news portals on your social media accounts. Have BBC, CNN, your local news sites and of course, Affinity Magazine on your timeline and it is better if you turn the notifications on than turning the notifications on for your long-time crush’s account. You don’t have to click on the links that they share if you don’t want to, the title says it all. Pause for a few seconds on these news accounts, and keep on scrolling.
- Find someone who reads. It may be your best friend, your sister, your mother or anyone that is close, or not, that is up to you. These book enthusiasts will always have the urge to share whatever they read to you, so when they do, listen. It is best for you to trigger the urge by asking them to tell you what they are reading/have read. Something like, “Hey, have you read P.S., I Still Love You?”. I can guarantee that their response will be, “OMG THAT BOOK IS LIT!It’s about…….(explaining the whole book to you for two solid hours)”. This is also useful when you would like to have serious information as well. I’ve had The Ten Faces of Innovation and 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens simplified by my teacher. This tip may look like we like to be spoonfed by other people, but knowledge will always be a knowledge, regardless how you get it from. Your effort counts.
- Get involved and read group chats. Yes, read the messages in your group chats. 900 messages on your notification rambling about daily teen issues may annoy you, but believe me, these group chats are godsent journalists from heaven. There’s always a few people in the group chat that will copy and paste the latest news and information that are buzzing around the world faster than lightning. It’s fine if you want to be a silent reader, as long as your mind is not!
- Watch movies and dramas that are adapted from novels. Yes, it’s true that movies and dramas usually cut some parts from the novels, but they won’t ever cut the important ones. You have already get the clear picture of the novel from these adaptations and even know the ending, so why waste your time buying a copy? No offense to hardcore novel trilogy fans like Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings, yes, the storyline’s very exciting, but you will end up reading the same plots and bore you. At last, you don’t finish it and there goes another abandoned book. Don’t add more to the stacked dusty collection.
These are the things that I personally practice to squeeze in knowledge in my mind in between my schedule. I am still trying very hard to leave my phone at another room and focus on a book because truth to be told, if we would like to rant about our busy life running errands, it’s a never ending drama. I would also bring a book along with me to school to read during breaks between classes or while traveling to read during long car/bus rides and flights. You may follow all the tips that I have given you, but don’t forget to preserve the culture of reading paperbacks. No matter how much the world has changed, knowledge will remain the most precious add-on value for a person to continue living his life, no matter which era he lives in.
Keep on seeking knowledge no matter how as long as you live, as life is a teacher that never gets old.
