Reading for High School Students

"Reading is nothing more than reading." That was my first encounter with Nozomu Hayashi.

The amount of information Hayashi-san asks about from within his books is simply vast, and I found myself repeatedly looking things up in dictionaries and searching for people on the internet. While I usually finish most books in a single day, I remember well that I took two or three days to read this one slowly.

The book I read was Nozomu Hayashi's "How to Polish Your Intellect," which discusses the author's own experiences applied to modern problems. (I'll keep the contents a secret because I really want you to pick it up and read it yourself.)

To say just a little, things like "books are meant to be broken" or "it's fine not to read books at all" might make a typical book lover think, "What on earth?" but it is incredibly interesting nonetheless.

Since then, I've become someone who quite often "soils books," but I get quite a few cold stares from people around me.

The other day, when I left a book open face-down on a desk, I was told, "You're damaging the book." But from my perspective, the feeling is "books are meant to be damaged," so I don't really care, but it seems the essence of reading is hidden there.

The Japanese word for reading, 'dokusho,' is written with the characters for 'read' and 'write,' but a book isn't really 'read' just by looking at it. It only becomes reading once you've read it, written in it, and made it your own. That's what I think. So, anyone who has seen the books I read knows that they are incredibly messy. There is writing everywhere, and sometimes there are even coffee stains on them, haha.

Sitting in a chair to read a book neatly actually makes me feel sorry for the book. It must have become such a lofty existence. I think the act of reading a book has come to look like a correct, intelligent posture.

However, reading has no particular value. If there's someone who says, "You're so admirable" to someone reading a book, you're better off thinking they're an idiot. That's why I hated the "morning reading" time in junior high school the most. Even though it was only 15 minutes, we were forced to read. (It might have been even shorter.)
There's no point in reading during such a time. The reason is that the educational setting of school has arbitrarily decided that "reading is a good thing."

In the first place, it's wrong to categorize reading. Even if you call it reading, there are self-help books, novels, light novels, and the types are wide-ranging.

For that matter, reading erotic novels like those by Tetsu Takahashi is also reading. But the content is about sex. What comes of reading sex novels? If it makes you smarter, I'd like to know how.

That's where it's wrong to begin with. Reading is not something "noble" from the start. You read because you want to read. That is reading. That's why I think creating a shitty time like morning reading is a huge misunderstanding.

You should just soil your books, and it's fine if you read them however you like.

When you hear about reading these days, it seems like the hurdle is very high. As if reading a book is studying, and if you read books you'll get smarter, or there's a "correct" way to read a book, haha. It's a troublesome state of affairs. That's why people make a fuss about young people moving away from reading.

As I mentioned earlier, reading is a matter of personal preference. You should read however you like and whenever you like. I somehow like the time I spend in the restroom, so I always take my Kindle and hole up in there.

I only come out when someone knocks on the door, so I'm usually holed up for about an hour. Maybe that is my way of reading.

My friend seems to be constantly chased by time and doesn't have time to read books. So, he said he's been listening to "Audible" while walking during his commute lately.

It might be a little far from reading, but I suppose that's his way of reading. If you can't read a book, you get information through your ears. That's a good thing.

What reading means to that person is often not understood by others. Taking a book into the bathroom until it's always limp, or reading a book until it's tattered—everyone has their own way of reading.

There is no such stupid idea as it being good to keep books in pristine condition.

People say that's just what reading is, but I am always practicing "reading alone." It is exactly as the words imply: reading a book by myself. I always enjoy this solitude.

As I wrote on note before, solitude is a good word. Solitude that you choose for yourself allows for freedom. Solitude, as the antonym of isolation, is a good thing.

For example, I mentioned that I like reading books in the restroom, and I think I like it because only one person can exist in that small space.

A space with no visual distractions, where no one will disturb you as long as they don't knock on the door. I like that kind of solitary space.

First of all, it is easy to understand that you cannot read with others. Even if you try to read a book with two people, if the speed at which you turn the pages is different, you cannot understand the content or take notes at the same time. In short, the time spent reading is inevitably a space of solitude.

I believe we should cherish this space of solitude. Humans are animals that are constantly communicating with others, but only during reading time can we exclude communication with others and create a space that is just between ourselves and the book.

I also think that "not reading" might be one of the reasons why today's stressful society has emerged.

In other words, people should set aside time for no communication—time for reading alone.

Of course, you can create your own solitary space however you like. The restroom is fine, but it might also be good to incorporate reading alone into your travel time on a train or in a car.

What I want to emphasize here is to put your smartphone face down. The purpose of reading alone is solitude, and you must exclude communication. If you are reading alone, the relationship is limited to just the book and yourself.

The proposal of reading alone has a high possibility of contributing significantly to enriching your life. I am not saying you must read classics or self-help books. It might be good to start by choosing a book that stems from your own hobbies. That is where reading alone begins.