READING : Nourishment of life
This spot is going to talk about one of the most beautiful and the most useful activity or hobby that a person can do: Reading. During this article we'll be discussing about the benefits that it can bring for an average person, its history from ancient times, tips about how to improve your reading skills and more. Reading is a cognitive process that consists on deciphering symbols and signals to construct a whole meaning. It is a deep interaction between a person who wants to share and express ideas (writer) and the person who receives that information (reader). It is the midst by which the reader acquires language, communication and can also share ideas and information with others. When we read something, our eyes are receiving letters and symbols and our brain is converting those words into paragraphs that tells or communicates something to us. Reading can be silent ( we read to ourselves) or in front of other people( public speaking). It is a receptive skill, which means that through it we receive and learn information.
Why to read 20 minutes at home? The answer is very simple: To improve your cognitive skills. When a person loves or enjoys reading, he or she begins to improve his or her comprehension skills, allowing him or her to learn, speak and write in such a better and more sophisticated way than an average person (somebody who only reads 5 minutes per day). Let's interpret the chart above: A person who hates reading or doesn't read at all, when doing a test or when that person takes an IQ test, the probability is that this person will have a very low score on those tests; because his or her brain is not going to have the same cognitive development, he or she lacks of lexicon vocabulary is very poor, or because that person hasn't improved reading comprehension skills that allow him or her to interpret, learn, or recognize the whole and main meaning of the text. In other words: "What the eyes don't read, the brain doesn't understand".
In conclusion, Mario has the greater probability of getting a high IQ test than Maria, because he's introvert, shy and a skillful reader, which are the characteristics of an intelligent person.
HISTORY OF READING:
Based on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "Reading as we know it today began in the ROMAN EMPIRE, and expanded to England during the mid 8th century.
However, if we consider reading as the form to express thoughts, feelings and communicate with each other, we can trace the history of reading to the Paleolithic era when the Human Being employed grunts and body language using gestures and postures to convey his ideas and needs to others. Slowly he developed oral language which enable him to express more clearly the messages he wanted to convey.
If we consider reading as the basic form of communication, it dates back to the invention of writing during 4000 BC.
Over history, humans have found methods to represent their spoken words with written symbols, picture writing and reading. For example:
Why to read 20 minutes at home? The answer is very simple: To improve your cognitive skills. When a person loves or enjoys reading, he or she begins to improve his or her comprehension skills, allowing him or her to learn, speak and write in such a better and more sophisticated way than an average person (somebody who only reads 5 minutes per day). Let's interpret the chart above: A person who hates reading or doesn't read at all, when doing a test or when that person takes an IQ test, the probability is that this person will have a very low score on those tests; because his or her brain is not going to have the same cognitive development, he or she lacks of lexicon vocabulary is very poor, or because that person hasn't improved reading comprehension skills that allow him or her to interpret, learn, or recognize the whole and main meaning of the text. In other words: "What the eyes don't read, the brain doesn't understand".
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Now let's take a look to an average person:
Almost 70% of the world population belongs to this percentile: Somebody who
only reads 5 minutes per day. When a person is an average person, his or her
brain neither lacks of comprehension skills, nor gets a high score on IQ tests.
For instance, Maria is a very talkative person, she loves hanging out with
friends and is good at school. On the other hand, Mario, a very shy person,
isn't good at public speaking, doesn't enjoy hanging out with friends, but
loves reading. According to Baert, Ben, "People who get a high IQ test,
share some of these characteristics:
·
avid reader.
·
questions rules or
authority, asks embarrassing questions, non-conforming.
·
feels different, out of
step with others, sense of alienation and loneliness.
·
very compassionate.
·
empathy: feels along
with others, helps them understand themselves.
HISTORY OF READING:
Based on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "Reading as we know it today began in the ROMAN EMPIRE, and expanded to England during the mid 8th century.
However, if we consider reading as the form to express thoughts, feelings and communicate with each other, we can trace the history of reading to the Paleolithic era when the Human Being employed grunts and body language using gestures and postures to convey his ideas and needs to others. Slowly he developed oral language which enable him to express more clearly the messages he wanted to convey.
If we consider reading as the basic form of communication, it dates back to the invention of writing during 4000 BC.
Over history, humans have found methods to represent their spoken words with written symbols, picture writing and reading. For example:
The first
writing-
Sumerian
lithographs from
4000 BC” “Cuneiform”
Meanwhile, the Egyptian
civilization along the river
Nile carved their pictorial
symbols known as
“hyroglyphics” on the
stone wall of temples and
tombs:
Hieroglyphics
In 2000 BC, the Phoenicians developed
the first methods to represent spoken
language:
“The Phoenician alphabet contained
consonants only.”
In 1000 BC, the Greek
alphabet is the source for all
modern manuscripts of
Europe, it is considered to be
the first world’s true
alphabet. It was the first
major upgrade occurred in
the technology of
representing language:
“The Greeks added vowels”
Several hundred years later, the Romans used the Greek alphabet as the basis for the uppercase alphabet that we know today. They refined the art of handwriting, fashioning several distinctive styles of lettering which they used for different purposes. They scribed a rigid, formal script for important manuscripts and official documents and a quicker, more informal style for letters and routine types of writing.
In order to have a plentiful space of knowledge, peace and tranquility, you have to pay attention to the following advices while you are reading:
GOOD HABITS:
- First of all, you need to have a peaceful space where you can read. Don't even think about reading in concerts, streets, hospitals or anywhere else where you can find "NOISE". It's better to read in the parks, next to the beach, far away from cities, etc. In conclusion, always read where you can feel comfortable in order you can open your mind to new information
- If you have troubles with family, friends, at school, don't try to read. It's better for you to do this because when we are stressed, our mind is blocked, so we won't be able to get the whole information, or we won't enjoy the book we are reading.
- Always have a dictionary with you. When you read a book, there are some words that may not seem familiar to you; for that reason, it's necessary to have a dictionary with you in order to understand the whole meaning of the text and to improve and make bigger your lexicon.
- Don't have things that can distract you or bother you. For example, when you are reading, don't even think about having a cell phone next to you, because at the end, it will not let you concentrate.
Reading is not all about "Reading a book"; if you don't have good habits at the time you want to improve your knowledge; this free time activity will become nonsense, bothering and a waste of time. For that reason, here are some things that you "must" avoid in order to have a plentiful reading space:
- Reading in busy streets, parties or any loudly meeting is a total waste of time; I mean, You won't be able to concentrate with loud music or with the street's noise pollution.
- Reading with low light is a killer poison because, first, your eyes will be damaged because you will have to force them in order to read the text. And second, if you read with low light; it's almost impossible to read.
- Reading a book when you have familiar or any kind of trouble is dreadful, too. For example, some people think that when you are stressed, it's recommendable to read; but thanks to experimentation, it's been shown to be the opposite. If we read, knowing that we have troubles, we won't be able to concentrate, we will feel sadness, desolation, and stressed. So, I recommend you to always read when your soul is in calm and quiet.
CONCLUSION
Reading can be expressed as one of the mankind's most powerful creations. It's almost impossible to imagine a place where people can't express their feelings through writings, a place where people can not know and have a critical thought about what's happening around them, a place where people behave in an "IRRATIONAL" way. To read something is just great. Reading opens your mind; when you read, for example, the history of Greece, you can transport to another world, imagine how it would have been, or even, to understand and give an answer to an actual problem. We can see its importance through history; where the mankind have always used writing to express thoughts, feelings and the most important, to make the words strengthen through time, and like it is said: "Words are like feathers in the wind". Reading also has some important advantages. For example, it increases mental agility, because the activity of reading strengthens the concentration capacity, and if it is practiced continuously, it is and useful exercise to avoid the loss of memory. Secondly, it strengthens the social relationships, because reading opens your mind, making you more critical and makes you to talk about any topic in a coherent way. Finally, as we've been discussing during this spot, always try to read; and if you can, read at least 20 minutes a day. But remember, reading can be a wonderful experience as long as you read in a peaceful, smooth and quiet place, in order you can concentrate in an easier way.
