Keep calm and read a book

So, what I would like to share today is simply an experience I had when I travelled to England several years ago. This is something that concerns us as Africans and although, it is a problem we are already dealing with at the moment here and there, we need to intensify effort to get to the root and shove it out. In other words, we need to a mindset change towards this pressing issue.

I used to love to shop (just leave the matter before you say shopping is a female sport). This faithful day, I had left home, enroute Oxford circus. (The stretch from Bond Street to Oxford still has my ‘footprints’).

As I got on the tube, I was ready to shop – ATM card loaded, some quid in my pocket and a mental shopping list. As I stared into space imagining all the nice looking things I could get in winter sales, I had an epiphany.

I couldn’t help but notice the guy in front of me dressed in his suit (obviously on his way to the office), standing and reading a book. As I looked around me, I suddenly noticed that in my section of the tube the commuters either had earphones plugged to their ears, were engaged in conversation or were reading.

Here I was, on vacation with plenty ‘free time’; commuting, yet not engaged. These guys were busy; on their way to work, yet engaged.

Later that evening, when I was done shopping, I needed to take the northern line to Edgware. When I got underground, I didn’t know where to get the precise tube. So typical of the Nigerian in me, I proceeded to ask! #Error

I saw a policeman in his uniform and I thought to myself, ‘Who better to ask than a law enforcement agent – he must be used to helping stranded folks’, I thought. Perhaps, I was wrong.

In response to my question, without uttering a word, he pointed two fingers to his eyes and then pointed at the sign post indicating the direction to the northern line. Then, he shook his head (as though in disappointment) and walked away.

The ground should just have opened, JJC had been exposed!  The option to read and get direction was available but I had opted for the easier one and look what if fetched me – the badge of a ‘rookie!’

These 2 experiences taught me one vital lesson that day – to develop an insatiable desire for reading/learning! Don’t get me wrong folks, I read but I was greatly challenged to do more and not get complacent.

Books not only expose you to new words but to new worlds. It is very possible to read our way out of difficult situation because from reading the right materials, we get the required knowledge that would come in handy when situations arise and we need to tackle them promptly.

The person who values knowledge understands the significance of words. Investing in relevant materials that are sure to equip us and impart us with the right information needed for a faster growth/speed towards our goals is really important. The phrase “Readers are leaders” only further cements the fact that books are important in the acquisition of required and desired knowledge.

A mental boost can be guaranteed, if we cultivate the habit of reading the right and relevant materials. We are also sure to enjoy the benefits of a broadened horizon.

Don’t stop reading. Don’t stop learning…

…Because Reading does to the mind, what exercise does to the body.

So let me ask – How many books have you read this year? What is the title of the last book you read?

Cheers.

BANKOLE WILLIAMS