“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body,” this is a well-known maxim that sums up the role of reading as gymnastics of the mind and an irreplaceable virtue that enriches knowledge and strengthens memory.
Certainly, in these periods of lockdown decreed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the feeling of “staying at home” can overcome everyone. Reading is a wonderful way to get away from it all.
Reading is a breath of fresh air in the face of this isolation which today appears to be a kind of mirage whose contours leave many helpless, all the more bitter since the only way to fight this invisible enemy is to shut oneself up at home.
Reading could, in fact, prove to be a real panacea for these feelings of discouragement which inhabit people, force them to self-isolation at home, in an attempt to curb the expansion of this devastating epidemic, which has already infected about half a million people worldwide and killed more than 20,000 others.
Since every cloud has a silver lining, this period of lockdown is a golden opportunity for people to reconnect with reading, which, beyond the framework of limited literacy, is a real tool for interpreting the world, structuring experiences and building knowledge. As a social and cultural polymorphism, reading strengthens intellectual, emotional and psychological development, by forming generations that are more fulfilled and capable of reinventing the world.
Reading could, in fact, prove to be a real panacea for these feelings of discouragement which inhabit people, force them to self-isolation at home, in an attempt to curb the expansion of this devastating pandemic, which has already infected about half a million people worldwide and killed more than 20,000 others.
Since every cloud has a silver lining, this period of lockdown is a golden opportunity for people to reconnect with reading, which, beyond the framework of limited literacy, is a real tool for interpreting the world, structuring experiences and building knowledge. As a social and cultural polymorphism, reading strengthens intellectual, emotional and psychological development, by forming generations that are more fulfilled and capable of reinventing the world.
Interviewed by APA, residents of the city of Sale (7 km from Rabat), stressed that reading provides pleasure by turning people away from the reality they live, thus promoting the forgetfulness of worries and daily stress. But it is also of great help in learning to express oneself and to think.
For Hamid, reading awakens the soul and the heart and its enjoys thoughts and feelings. “It is an opening onto an enchanted world. It opens all the doors to creation and invites us to better understand and master the world, instead of running away from it,” said this teacher who is busy preparing an e-learning system for his students.
According to him, “the lockdown has forced us to a certain restriction of social life’s span, and reading can be essential as a way to compensate for the frustration has caused lack of friends,” he said.
Likewise, Souad, a civil servant, stressed that reading remains a remedy to overcome all phobia, regain pleasure in life and console oneself in the face of feelings of boredom and weariness imposed by the containment.
In these periods of lockdown announced in different countries worldwide, several platforms and world famous brands have offered thousands of eBooks to readers free of charge. Likewise, UNESCO had the great idea of giving free access to the world digital library on the internet.
There is no denying it: Keeping stress at bay is another virtue of reading, especially in these moments of isolation. Suffice it to say that the book is the humanity’s best friend at all times and in all circumstances.
HA/fss/Dng/APA