What are you reading?

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them – Lemony Snicket

THE world would definitely be drab if reading and writing had not been invented. I often times wonder what one would do with the twenty-four hours of a day without reading, even if for a few minutes. Ignorance, they say is bliss. Those who are not literate may not know what they are missing.  And for those who can read don’t, one should ask why they are wasting this God-given talent. Reading makes living complete. A life without reading is empty, absolutely. 

I once went to an office to keep an appointment with someone. On getting there I was told the person won’t be available until a certain hour. I was on appointment; I did not just barge into the place. Nigerian officials hardly keep to time. I looked at my wristwatch and I noticed that I had about three hours to wait! A scheduled appointment for that matter. What do I do? Do I leave and come back later? The legendary Lagos traffic snarl made that option impossible. I had three whole hours to wait!! The reception hall where I was asked to wait was bare, there were only some dog-eared, smelly magazines on the table for waiting visitors. You can tell from their looks that they had been there for ages. I was turned off. So, what next? Imagine waiting in that place for three hours without a guarantee that the person I came to see would make it back in those hours. 

From time immemorial, I never stepped out of my house without a book or something to read in tow. This is because I am a restless soul who can never sit in a place idle. I must find something to do. The best way to tame my restless spirit is to give me a book to read. How do you go to a public office waiting and just sit idly or sleep off? I’ve visited offices and waiting at the reception or waiting room with others and some would be there sleeping.  I was once in an office where a man waiting to be attended to slept and was snoring as if he was on his bed at home! I was thoroughly embarrassed on his behalf! All efforts by the be front office lady to make him stay awake proved abortive. How can you sit in a front office and fell comfortable sitting down and snoring like some water pig!! 

So, on that day when I discovered I had three hours of waiting ahead of me, I went back to my car and was saved the long hours of boredom with the reliable company I keep – a book. 

The hot cup of coffee and my book were good company for m till the person I was waiting for arrived. The three hours were shortened in the company of a book. A young man later came in to see the same person I was waiting for. He was busy browsing through his phone while waiting. He had no book to read, I was sure he was only chatting and he did this until his phone battery went dead. He frantically looked for a charger but neither the receptionist nor me could come to his assistance.

A few minutes after hissing and shuffling his legs annoyingly on the floor, he slept off. I was incensed. Of all things in the world the young man could not keep himself awake without his phone. What sort of youngsters are we breeding nowadays? An illiterate population hooked on reading Facebook, WhatsApp and other distracting social media? 

As we marked another World Book Day on March 4, I enjoin us all to pay more attention to reading and how to make our children a reading generation.  It is time to make the world read again, especially in this part of the world. The quality of argument and idea that one listen to nowadays calls to question the level of our education. It is as if we have all given up and hoping for the best. But where would this come from if we don’t make the conscious effort to instil it in our young ones?  Many of them today prefer to sit long hours in front of the television watching meaningless and drab soap operas and third-rated Mexican telenovelas.   

The essence of the World Book Day according to UNESCO is “to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.”

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO once said, “Books are a form of cultural expression that lives through and as part of a chosen language. Each publication is created in a distinct language and is intended for a language-specific reading audience. A book is thus written, produced, exchanged, used and appreciated in a given linguistic and cultural setting.”

The current technology fad won’t have come to being if the world had been illiterate. The danger we stand by not making reading and education look attractive and rewarding is enormous. We must wake up and find time to read and encourage our siblings to do same. It is an important cultural aspect of life that must not be allowed to go into oblivion. There are many organisations that have been formed to make this become part of our lives. People must realise that reading is fun, and this we must let the young ones realise, it is not enough to be engaged in surfing the net or phones all days without doing anything tangible.

I love what some people are doing on the social media now, there are people out there who at the ned of every month post pictures of books they have read and give tips and summaries of such for other. It is a worthy thing to do, we must all find time to do such. It is not hip to say you are too busy and so cannot find time to read! 

Start today, even if it takes you three months to read a two hundred page book, you are not in competition with anyone but yourself.

What are you reading?