Table of Contents
About the Author(s)
Saad UL Haq
The author is a final-year student of BS English in the Department of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Peshawar.
Reading is a conversation, but conversation is not a reading.
I see most of the students gossiping in the lawn of the department rather than reading in the library. The lawn is full of students while the library is full of books. There is an ample gap and loss of connection between the students and the books which I described as ’Reading cavity’. The students in the lawn enjoy the company of their fellows but forget the company of books in the library which is a testament to knowledge and wisdom.
Who is responsible for it? Difficult to probe. Is it the fault of reading itself? Of course, not. Because reading enhances the ability to think, to judge, and to interpret. It increases the critical ability of human mind to evaluate an idea constructively. It is essential for the growth of human essence. Reading awards a man with cognitive flexibility which is the true power in the jumbled era. It gives way to criticism, and criticism in turn opens the path to progress and prosperity of society. If reading has so much positive impact then what’s the real impediment?
The real impediment in the way of reading is cheap entertainment. The lawn of the department becomes a center of meaningless jokes which attracts students even from their respective classes, so a way to library is a hectic deal. Cheap entertainment creates a buzz environment where purpose of students become blur. So the beauty of lawn turns into chaos of time as well as healthy mind.
The fault also lies in students. They are unaware of the importance of reading books, magazines, newspapers etc. They are unmindful of their true vision and goal. Students come and leave the department without purpose. It shows that there is no ambition nurturing in the heart of students which is a matter of tragedy for the entire nation.
Moreover, there is a lack of self awareness among students who move aimlessly in a departmental lawn. Once they move on the path of self-actualization then the track from the lawn to the library will be amiable. They will be able to love books. They will read newspapers. Students will swallow journals. They will digest magazines and so on. As a result, the culture of reading will definitely be evolved in a department which in turn will create a cognitive society.
Besides that, the fear of isolation draws students from the library to the lawn. The lawn is students hub than library. Sometimes even an avid reader prefers lawn with friends due to alienation. Readers should push this fear away and believe in their own potential. They will strive to create such environment which compels students to the library surrounded by books.
The students should create a balance between the lawn and the library. They should navigate different ways of reading materials. Students must try to adapt reading culture within the department. They should minimize the conversation time in the lawn and should spend their actual time in the library which is the supportive environment for reading.
Rene Descartes says that “the reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries.”
