The month of April has been packed with various activities that celebrate books, literacy, creativity, intellectual property and copyright. One of such celebrations is World Book and Copyright Day which is celebrated on the 23rd of April every year. This day is set aside to promote reading, writing, book publishing and copyright.
Another related event in April is World Intellectual Property Day which fosters creativity, inventions and innovation, as well as the importance of copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Since books—and other means of expressing creativity— are the focus of these celebrations, let’s shed light on why they are important.
Books Promote Reading.
Without books and other written content, what is there to read? Hard copies are still important sources of content in our world today, despite the common use of other sources such as blogs, e-books and social media applications.
Books Teach.
There is so much knowledge to be got from tomes. They provide information on so many topics and fields. People can become self-taught by reading books. While reading, you learn not only the subject matter of the text but the language in which it is written.
Books Entertain.
Some texts are written exclusively to entertain. Some are written to entertain even when they educate or inform. Some examples of books meant to entertain are: comic books, fiction books with comedy-themed plots etc. Reading the written word is a pleasurable pastime.
Books Let you Express Yourself.
Writing is a great medium of self-expression. Besides reading a written work, you can write one to share your thoughts, feelings, experience, ideas and lots more. The subject matter of your writing could be just about anything, and it could belong to any genre (prose, drama, poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc.).
Books Inform.
Remember the saying that the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful man is information. A major source of information is books. Some life-changing or lifestyle-changing information can be contained in tomes. In order to access such information, you need to read such materials.
Books Record History.
How can you know what happened in the past, if no one wrote it down? History texts reveal events that happened in the past and people who lived in times past; near or far? They provide you a medium to take a look at a time in history that you would otherwise not have been privy to.
One advantage that history provides us all is that it allows us to see the end of situations and learn from them, without having to experience such situations ourselves.
Books Shape the Mind.
The way a person thinks is a reflection of what the person reads. The contents of written texts mould and shape the human mind. This is why the education of children is emphasized all around the world; these are the formative years and are therefore most important. Reading forms the mindset, values, ideals and lifestyle of individuals; and even groups.
Books Stimulate the Mind.
Reading written material is a healthy way of stimulating the mind. As you read the words in a text, your mind is likely to form mental pictures of the images, temporal setting, people, physical settings and other details contained in the article. This process is called mental stimulation.
Mental stimulation has been found to fuel creativity, boost self-esteem, improve moods, relieve stress, improve mental health and prevent memory loss.
Tomes are a great source of information and other numerous benefits. The short-term and long-term rewards of perusing books cannot be over-emphasized. Both reading and writing books are beneficial to the building of the mind and they make a profound impact on society.
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