Reading gives us far more than pleasure. It is the key to learning, and most importantly it helps us develop empathy. Reading does it all. Charles French, an English Professor, says it well.
I believe this topic to be important, so I wish to revisit it again.
I have previously written about the happiness of reading, a pleasure I hope everyone, or at least, most people experience. As I wrote before, I consider reading to be one of the main joys of life. Reading is one of the most essential and, at the same time, the most sublime of pleasures. Reading can take us places we have never been, tell us stories we have not known, and let us experience the lives of many other people.
In addition to the pleasures of reading, I also want to consider the benefits of reading. I think the first, and perhaps most obvious, value is that of education. Regardless of where the reading is done, or if it is for class or for self, all reading informs the reader in some way. As a Professor…
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A Teacher's Reflections 
Jennie, thank you!
You’re welcome, Charles!
Thanks for sharing this, Jennie.
You’re welcome, Luanne. 🙂
Charles got that 100% right! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
I think so, too! 🙂
So true! An excellent post.
Charles hit the nail on the head!
Great read and the comments are great too. Thanks for sharing it Jennie! I’m so far behind with my emails and blog reading I may not have got to this for days.
I’m so glad you liked this, Deborah. Really good and important stuff. No worries about being behind. I am always playing catch-up. 🙂
It can never be over emphasized, reading is a beneficial part of everyday life from beginning to end. I may have shared this quote before, but it bears repeating. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin. Thank-you for sharing this post.
Thank you, Ellen. It can never be over emphasized. So, I write about reading all the time, in different ways. And my pen has frantically written down the quote. It is really good! 😀
From Dave’s Blog or DolphinWrite: You certainly have great points, and there is a plethora of writers sharing on a variety of topics. It’s good to get out and hear others’ views and experiences. I want to add here the importance of experiences away from the everyday, visiting places, enjoying hobbies, and thinking for yourselves. As a child, exploring the backyard, sometimes nearby parks, and later, the forest and camp places some never entered. Once, I got lost, and through time and effort, using the old noggin, I found my way back, side tracking a couple of times. Something about thinking for yourself which we need more of in this country.
You are absolutely right. All those experiences are most important in order to think and understand. And then, we are better able to connect and to learn, and to give goodness in many different ways. Reading is at the root.
I would like to add that we are born with the understanding, which is why some people remember their first few days of life. We have it within us, and when we are able to form words, are able to begin articulating our feelings and thoughts. Life is so amazing.