By Samhita Holla and Haley Kim
We live in a society where the practice of flipping a page has been consumed with the swipe of a phone. Not only is this corrupting our brains but it is stopping interactions and opportunities in real life situations. To avoid temporary discomfort, we are designed to justify our choices with excuses. We find countless ways to explain why neglecting to start a book is reasonable in our own lives. Here’s some that we’ve heard constantly:
“But it’s so boring” – 1 out of 5
Our brains are so dependent on mindless scrolling that only results in releasing fake dopamine within a 15 second reel; any source of entertainment that forces you to think and process for longer durations seems to bore students these days. We urge you to take a step back from your “doom scrolling”, and when you’re actually bored, pick up a book and discover the endless world you can build in your mind. This way, your brain is rewired to chase real dopamine, one that comes from working hard to achieve a goal — like reading everyday to finish a book.
“I don’t like reading library books.” – 2 out of 5
People often overlook the hidden beauty that lies within the bookshelves of a library. In a library, you can wander from the trending books to niche reads, all open for you to explore without any drawbacks. Whereas, a book store is similar to scrolling on social media; everything is calculated so that the most trending “BookTok” finds are on the fronts of the shelves. Instead of always heading to the bookstore to pay for the books you know you’ll like, get out of your comfort zone, pick up a book that you don’t know anything about and check it out. Maybe you’ll discover a new favorite book that you just never pushed yourself to explore outside of your usual go-to’s. Just know, if you end up hating it, you can always return it.
“I don’t have the time to read.” – 2 out of 5
This is the most common excuse out there: “I don’t have time to read.” “I’m too busy.” But we find ourselves spending all our time scrolling on our phones on the toilet, or binge-watching the new show on Netflix even though “I should be studying.” We constantly find ourselves in a state where we feel like the work ahead of us is too daunting and it seems easier to pull out our devices and simply “wait another 30 minutes,” which rolls into hours on end. So how do we stop this cycle? Reading allows you to focus deeply which builds momentum for deeper work like studying. It can cultivate skills like patience and perseverance which are needed not only for school work but for future careers. Scrolling fragments your concentration and leaves you in a dazed state that leaves you susceptible to missing out on real opportunities. Utilize the time you reserve for going on your phone with exploring new mediums and expanding your knowledge.
Time is our money. And the way we choose to spend our time dictates the way we spend the rest of our lives. So instead of spouting excuses and spending all of our valuable time scrolling on our phones, let’s revert to pumping our brains, sharpening our vocabulary and unleashing our limitless imagination that is trapped inside of a tiny digital screen. Books, the source of all the knowledge and creativity in the world, patiently wait to be opened as we once again hop into bed and pull out our devices before sleeping. Reading kindles a spark within us, something that digital media can never amount to. Let’s turn off that phone, open that book, and reawaken in us the beautiful art of reading.