Why Do We Read?

I wish I knew the answer to the question, why do we read? When I was in grade ten. I am learning the reasons for reading while pursuing my master’s degree. If I had known it earlier, things would have been entirely different.

First, I will walk you through the primary reason for reading; what do you think it is?

For me, it was to be at the top of my class and the university. I achieved the goal of being at the top of my class; I was the batch topper of the 2017 batch of Universal College. However, I remained second topper in the university with a 3.99 GPA in my seventh semester, which means I failed.

I was the topper, but I was reading incorrectly all these years. Aren’t you surprised listening to one of the toppers who is saying, I read in the wrong way? Irony!

Currently, I am reading a book, How to Read a Book? By Charles Van Doren and Mortimer J. Adler. After reading a few pages of the book, I realized we read not to gain information but to understand it. And, all these years, I accumulated a lot of information, enough to get a 3.99 GPA.

From the book, I learned that, after reading something, we need to move from ‘understanding less’ to ‘understanding more.’ After reading, one needs to be able to explain, not just remember. When someone reads to understand, they will eventually recognize the information, which means they will end up being the topper of the class.

What’s the take of today’s reflection? Read to understand, not to remember.