Becoming Great: Why All Men Should Read
The Power of Words
Reading has always been linked to intelligence. Almost all the great men throughout history have had a love for books. From Marcus Aurelius to Thomas Jefferson to Winston Churchill, these guys shared a passion for the written word. But today, even though books are more accessible than ever, fewer people are reading, especially men. According to some stats, 80% of books bought today are by women! Whether that’s entirely accurate or not, there’s no denying that women dominate the book world. It’s time we end the stigma around men and reading.
Reading doesn’t make you “nerdy.” It makes you smart, and despite what your grade school bully might have said, being smart is awesome. Let’s dive into the reasons why you should pick up a book.
You Learn Stuff
It might seem obvious, but when you read, you’re bound to learn something new. Fiction or non-fiction, every book has something you didn’t know before. Books are the gateway to knowledge. Sometimes that knowledge is as simple as a word you didn’t know. And speaking of words…
Your Vocabulary Increases
In other words, reading helps you expand your vocabulary. The more you read, the more words you learn and the better you get at expressing yourself.
Increased Focus
In this digital age, distractions are everywhere… oh look, a funny cat video.
Apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are eating up our attention spans with quick hits of dopamine. We’re starting to lose our ability to concentrate and focus. I know you’ve probably been there: you pick up a book, get excited to read, and five minutes in, you stop. Or you fall asleep. Or you forget what you just read. That’s okay; it happens. Reading is like anything else in life—the more you do it, the better you get.
Start by giving yourself 15 uninterrupted minutes to concentrate and read. Take your time, enjoy, and remember, every day your focus will get better. This increased focus will also help you in other areas of life, such as work and relationships.
You Develop Empathy and Other Life Skills
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Reading, especially fiction, forces you into the shoes of someone else. This someone else may be just like you, or they could be the complete opposite. Either way, you get to see their inner thoughts and actions.
We can’t choose the lives we are born into, and we may be limited in the things we get to experience. This can lead to a disconnect and a lack of empathy for people who are different from us. Through reading, we can glimpse into the lives of others and take a walk in their shoes. This can lead to all kinds of positive life skills. For example, through reading action and adventure novels, you can learn what it’s like to be courageous and a leader. Through romance, you can learn what it means to be a good (or sometimes bad) lover. Through detective novels, you can learn how to analyze and reason. By experiencing things through the lens of a character, you can learn a lot about handling certain situations.
It's an Escape
As mentioned before, we can’t choose the life we are born into, and based on your circumstances, you may not be able to choose all of your experiences. But through reading, you can escape. Whether you choose to battle dragons or be a Russian serf in the 1600s, the power of escape and time travel are always available through a book.
In conclusion, we need to get rid of this stigma around men and reading. Reading is cool, smart is in, so go ahead bro and open that book.
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