Why People Don’t Read

Someone made a profound statement that “If you don’t read, you are not different from the person who can’t read.” The major question is not whether people can read but whether they will read. Each one of us is wired to become a reader. The Bible, written under the inspiration of God, is considered as the Book Of Life. It is logical that if you do not read, you cannot benefit from it. Each one of us must be able to find himself in the Bible by reading it. I have found out that one of the major reasons why people don’t read is LAZINESS. It is habitual laziness. 

In the points below, I share some excuses people who don’t read like to give.

#1. I Don’t Have Enough Time

This excuse is the most popular amongst students and professionals. I have been privileged to sell knowledge-based products to people but they turn it down because they say they ‘don’t have time to read’. Quite a few who buy also keep them on their shelves without reading because they ‘don’t have time to read’. Have you thought about this: The most successful people in the world have always been people who are active readers? The most successful leaders of top businesses spend time reading for knowledge. Time is the greatest equalizer. Everyone has equal time in the world. The secret is that some manage their life to include reading. You have to make time to read. They utilize time such as sitting in traffic and their spare time reading.

#2. Too Much Reading Makes You ‘Book-Long’

The wise King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:18 that, “He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” This statement was directed at man’s quest for knowledge pursuit without God in the picture. That is what I call purposeless reading. Such people fill their heads with knowledge without a corresponding filling of the heart to cause personal and societal transformations. ‘Book-long’ is a Ghanaian terminology for reading without applying the knowledge. It is not enough to read. It is not enough to fill your head with academic knowledge without purpose. I believe this is the lot of Africa. We go to school to seek knowledge from cradle to grave without any clear fruits being manifested. I challenge you to become a purpose-driven reader. 

#3. Reading Is Boring

Every successful thing in the world is done around a boring routine. The passion to acquire knowledge makes it interesting. When you read, you are alone but when you start applying the information to your life, people will see a better you. For instance, every Christian knows that he has to go to church, read his Bible, pray, fast, and so on. These are routines people find boring, but to every conquering Christian, these routines are his lifeblood to enjoying the riches of his new life in Christ. Reading is much the same as this. What you may not like to do is the secret to your successful life such as reading.

All these excuses above are robbing us of the good things in reading. It’s been shockingly found that the average person doesn’t read a full book in his whole lifetime. What a pity! If you read the success stories of people in the Bible and in the circular world, you will find out that their secret is learning and applying what great people before them did to achieve their feats.

Abraham Lincoln once said that, “A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” Conquer the spirit of laziness through personal discipline and pursuit reading.

What are your thoughts about this topic? Share with us.