Creativity is great, but plagiarism is faster

*This was published in the September 6th edition of the Biola University newspaper.

Why has America stopped reading? More importantly, why has America stopped reading the classics? A recent poll released by MSNBC showed that one in four adults did not read a single book last year.

This statistic should cause outrage on college campuses nationwide. America no longer cares about reading and it is largely up to college students to reverse this statistic.

Not only should that percentage shock our generation into efforts to emphasize reading, it should remind us the type of books that will produce this effect.

The classics are largely ignored in today’s visual society. People feel they lack the time to devote to reading long books with complex messages. Unless one plans on entering an intellectual field or becoming an English teacher, most see little use for spending their free time with their nose in a book. Instead, they choose to spend hours in front of a TV screen in a state of catatonia.

This attitude is highly caustic to our society and is destroying the foundation upon which it was set. There is a surplus of compelling reasons to invest time in reading the classics, but here are three sensible reasons that warrant their return.

The first compelling reason to put down the remote and pick up a classic is the opportunity to interact with the greatest ideas humanity has ever transmitted. These ideas have shaped the thoughts and actions of humanity since the creation of the world. Now men and women everywhere have been offered a look into the history of the world through eye witness accounts. The chance to interact with these ideas and discuss them with others is a priceless commodity. You have the opportunity to access the zenith of human thought since man began promulgating his ideas.

The second compelling reason for a return to the classics is the opportunity to improve skill at speaking and writing. These books are not considered literary classics for no reason; their content and style has been universally recognized as the standard for excellent written work. Their language is rife with rich vocabulary and expressive style. Spend time reading the classics and your ability to speak and write effectively will increase dramatically.

The third and final compelling reason for a return to the classics is the entertainment factor. Though many associate the classics with boring high school English, the classic’s subject matter can be every bit as fascinating as modern literature. Epic tales of love, war, and religion permeate the flow of classic literature. Read the classics with a receptive mind, and entertainment far surpassing cheap imitations will follow.

Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher said, “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the most honorable people of the past ages.”

So start a conversation. Explore the copious resources of classic literature. Read good books and do not settle for tawdry entertainment. Change America’s perception of reading, starting with the one person you can control.

I will be running a weekly column in the Chimes, reviewing classic books. If you have a classic piece of literature you would like to see reviewed, contact me and I will do my best to oblige you. Next week, I will launch a three-part series on classic American Literature, opening with Henry David Thoreau’s novel, Walden.