There was a time when reading felt optional, something to be done when time allowed. But over the years, it becomes clearer that reading is not just a habit—it is a quiet force that shapes how we think, feel, and live. These days, I find myself more inclined than ever to encourage others to read, because its value unfolds in ways we often underestimate.
Reading is a companion for the mind. In a world where mental health struggles are increasingly visible, books offer a rare kind of solace. They slow us down, give our thoughts a direction, and sometimes simply sit beside us in silence. Studies have shown that even a few minutes of reading can reduce stress levels significantly, almost like meditation. It strengthens cognitive abilities, improves focus, and enhances memory. More than that, it awakens creativity—those hidden corners of imagination that daily routines tend to dull.
It also quietly removes loneliness. When we read, we are never alone; we are in conversation with minds across centuries. A book can become a friend, a mentor, even a mirror. History books, especially, stretch our understanding of time. They remind us that the present moment is not isolated but part of a long unfolding story. When we understand the past deeply, we begin to see the patterns of the future more clearly.
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”— Charles William Eliot
There is also a subtle emotional shift that reading brings. When we encounter the struggles of others—real or fictional—our own problems often begin to feel lighter, or at least more manageable. It is not about dismissing our challenges, but about placing them in a wider perspective. Reading expands our horizon, making us more empathetic, more patient, more connected to others.
Many of our childhood dreams evolve with time. Some we achieve, some we outgrow, and some remain quietly unfulfilled. Not everyone gets the chance to study at the grand institutions they once dreamed of. Yet, in a beautiful way, books can fill that space. They carry the essence of great minds, great universities, and great journeys into our hands. Through them, learning never really stops.
It is interesting to remember that some books are written in months, while others take decades to complete. Years of thought, struggle, and lived experience are distilled into pages. Yet, as readers, we sometimes rush through them, quick to decide whether something is “for us” or not. If we had invested years preparing for an entrance exam and paid a significant fee for a course, we would not walk away so easily. The difference is not in the value of the content, but in how we perceive what comes easily to us.
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”— Oscar Wilde
There are places in the world where even basic education is a privilege, where the freedom to read fiction is restricted, where libraries are dreams rather than realities. When seen from that lens, the ability to read, to choose what we read, and to think freely becomes a profound gift. Reading, understanding, writing, and imagining—these are among the most powerful capacities of the human mind. But like any ability, if left unused, they slowly fade into dormancy.
According to the Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025 released by UNESCO and UNICEF, more than 90 per cent of 10-year-olds in the country cannot read a simple text, a stark sign of “schooling without learning.”
It leaves us with a few honest questions. How curious are we, really? Do we nurture that curiosity, or do we let it fade under the weight of routine? Do we seek knowledge regularly, or only when required? When we come across information online, do we pause to verify it through deeper, more reliable sources? Do we explore philosophical ideas that challenge and refine our understanding of life? Do we read to grow in our profession, or simply to stay informed? Do we step beyond our comfort zones to learn something entirely new?
Reading also invites us into the minds of writers. Sometimes the story is not just in the book, but behind it—the struggles, inspirations, and journeys that shaped it. Knowing what a writer went through while creating a work often deepens our connection to it. It turns reading into a dialogue rather than a one-sided act.
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”— J.D. Salinger
And then there are the smaller, quieter habits around reading. Do we enjoy comics, or have we outgrown them too quickly? Do we look at world events only as problems, or do we seek solutions through what we read? What do we do when we receive a book as a gift—keep it aside, or open it with curiosity? Do we gift books to others, sharing not just an object but an experience? Do families sit together and read, even for a short while? Do we visit libraries, or feel the simple joy of browsing through stationery and bookshelves?
Some of the most meaningful transformations begin with such small actions.
In the end, there is one more question that gently lingers—how much do we write compared to how much we read? Because reading fills us, but writing shapes what we have absorbed. It is where thoughts settle, take form, and become truly our own.
Reading is not a race, not a task to be completed. It is a lifelong companionship. The more we give to it, the more quietly, steadily, it gives back.
“knowledge is the cause of human progress.”―
