Some months back, I read on the internet that over the years the world has gone through four major industrial revolutions thus:
1. Coal; 1765
This period witnessed movement from Agriculture to Industries; mechanized processes; groundbreaking mass production, spinning machines took over production fabrics, mule and wagon transportation were supplanted by Canal
2. Gas; 1870
This period witnessed the discovery of electricity and oil. It went side by side the invention of combustible engine, the discovery of steel and other chemical products. Cars, airplane and telecommunication technology came into the scene
3. Nuclear and electrons; 1969
This period witnessed the rise of nuclear technology cum nuclear plants, energy, weapons, etc and electronics cum Videos, radio, Televisions, the list is indeed longer which were common in Great Britain, Europe, USA and Asia
4. Renewable energy and Internet; 2000
Inventions here include solar, wind and geothermal energies. Other inventions here include; cloud, artificial intelligence and digital technology.
The world is moving but the big question is, are you moving?
The other day, while holding a session on a related matter with some corps members, I asked if any of them is familiar with a local government called Chibok. To my consternation, there were few that have never heard of such a place. I did not spare them at all; for they were fresh graduates who should be well familiar with such a global phenomenon. In case you have forgotten, it is a Local government in Borno State in Nigeria where more than 800 students (girls) were abducted by the boko haram terrorists in 2014. It was heralded by this slogan: Bring Back the Girls.
Recently, the social media was blanketed by the story of a young man who after three years of courtship with a lady is threatening to quit on the grounds that the lady, although an undergraduate but highly bankrupt of happenings in her immediate environment. The young man poignantly doubted if she was familiar with the three tiers of government.
To become 21st century compliant, you must be informed. It is no more news that information is the gold or oil of the present day. How do I acquire this gold or oil one might ask. The major doorway to information is by reading. An old saying states, “All that you’re is all that you’ve learnt”. To put it another way, “All that you’ve learnt is all that you’re”. It can further be considered thus, “All that you know is all that you’re”. This means that one must know more in order to be a better person. There is a popular saying: “You’ll be the same person in the next five years as you are except for two things; the kinds of books you read and the kinds of friends you keep”. As though this is not enough, speaking on this some years ago, Barrack Obama said if he is given ten years to cut a tree, he would use eight years to learn how to cut the tree and use the remaining for the actual duty. All these lay credence to the importance of reading.
The following are the reasons you must read
1. Nature of creation
Human beings know nothing at birth. The great philosopher, John Locke refers to this as “Tabula Rasa” translated to mean a clean slate on which nothing has been written. This means we are responsible for all its input. Hence whatever is written there becomes the objective reality. Therefore by reading, you are writing something, and you can write your way to the desired greatness.
2. Improves mental performance
We learn to read so as to read to learn. Napoleon Hill once observed “More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth.” Taking steps to read can be likened to the flexing of the muscles. It goes without saying that when muscles are flexed, they produce more results. It also enhances vocabulary and strengthens the usage of language.
3. To shape us into our dreams/purposes
Great height academically and otherwise cannot be attained without certain body of knowledge. Medicine, law, engineering and Architecture, to mention but a few cannot be achieved without rigorous studies, as an integral part of reading.
4. To become global citizens
A reader may not have deeper knowledge about everything, but knows something about everything; so resourceful and valuable. A reader is therefore a natural entertainer and motivator. Therefore such an individual can fit into every society.
5. To ward off prejudices
In every society, there are prejudices, exclusion and stereotypes especially against minority groups. Any individual with the required knowledge or information automatically becomes a sacred cow against these odds; those labels are silenced. The story of Ben Carson is quite informative here. He was considered the dumbest kid in class. However, through reading, he moved to the top in his class all the way to becoming one of the best brain surgeons in the US, heralded by the trail blazing story of the Siamese twins in 1987; the only ones who did not only survive the operation but lived normal healthy lives thereafter.
6. To create new frontiers and break new grounds
Reading sparks creativity, deepens knowledge and open individuals to expanding array of possibilities. It also enables individuals tap into superior minds and aid the discovery of new horizons.
READABLES
These include newspaper, Bible, Christian literatures, novels, magazine, motivational books, biographers/autobiographers, journals, bulletins, etc.
READING TIMES
Quite environment
Night times
Early morning period
Secluded place
