I have said on different occasions that "read the screen when you are busy and read when you are free". This means that in the era of mobile Internet and busy life, people might as well use their spare time to read something they like on their mobile phones or e-readers. At the same time, they must squeeze out their free time to read some paper books.
My suggestion has been welcomed by many friends. Some of these friends advocate reading paper books, and some are obsessed with reading on mobile phones. However, they seem to have no idea about combining the two kinds of reading. Disgusted.
Digital technology is expanding human reading on a large scale, and the call for universal reading has never been higher. The relationship between the two seems to be a complete historical coincidence, but in fact there are some inherent laws worthy of attention.
Reading for All is an initiative first proposed by UNESCO in 1972 and proposed again in 1982. In 1995, UNESCO decided to designate April 23, the anniversary of the death of two of the world’s great literary giants, Spain’s Cervantes and Britain’s Shakespeare, as “World Book Day” and solemnly issued a declaration: “I hope that people scattered around the world, whether you are old or young, whether you are poor or rich, whether you are sick or healthy, can enjoy the pleasure of reading, and respect and appreciate your contribution to human civilization. Masters of literature, culture, science, and thought who have made great contributions can protect intellectual property rights.”
Throughout the history of human reading, there has never been any initiative to advocate universal reading, let alone carry out universal reading. Activity. It can be said that reading for all is a major progress in the history of human reading. Reading has always been an individual matter. Even though there have been gatherings, groups, or relatively extensive reading activities for a book among literati in history, there has never been a reading activity covering the entire population. Therefore, its meaning has its own particularity.
In our opinion, the meaning of reading is of course first and foremost related to learning, but it is not limited to learning. In addition to learning, the function of reading is also related to people's spiritual interests. Reading and learning for a dying old man are meaningless to him, but if he wants to read, he can only think that it is related to the needs of his spiritual life. Reading is related to human progress, but it is not limited to human progress; reading can change destiny, but it is not certain that it can change destiny. The purpose of reading can be not only for progress but also for entertainment. When reading a thriller, the reader's expectation is tension and pleasure, but life progress is usually not its purpose at this time. National reading involves all people, so its meaning must be rich and diverse, and cannot be uniform and simple. I remember reading a passage where a philosopher once answered someone else's question: "If today was the last day of your life, what would you choose to do?" He said reading. Asked him again: "If you were imprisoned in a cell, what would you do?" He said reading. Then he asked him: "If the end of the world has come, what are you going to do today?" He still said reading. There is also a joke about a famous successful scientist in the United States. Someone asked him: "If your career fails, what will you do?" He said to read it. I asked him again: "If you were unemployed, what would you do?" He said that to improve yourself, read. I asked him again: "What should I do if I fall out of love?" He said: "Just read."
The greatest common denominator of the meaning of reading for all is "enjoying the pleasure of reading." The ancients said that "opening a book is beneficial" is a kind and peaceful way to encourage reading. Reading to learn, reading to cultivate, reading to enjoy, and even reading for entertainment are all reading values ??recognized by all people. In a certain sense, the main purpose of national reading is to read. If there are any restrictive words to be added, it is "beneficial reading", making reading a part of people's lives. As a social activity, we also hope that through national reading, we can improve the spiritual life of the entire people, cultivate the spiritual temperament of the entire people, promote the mainstream values ??of society, and build the cultural foundation of the country. As Steven Roger Fisher famously said, reading is “always the voice of civilization.”
As early as 1972, when UNESCO issued a call for universal reading, digital technology was still an important project in scientists' laboratories, and the exciting cellular communication technology was still limited to special uses. Now, at an important juncture when national reading activities are booming, digital technology has become an exciting new favorite.
Reading experts are calling for an increase in book reading, but mobile Internet reading is giving rise to more people who bow their heads. Thick tomes are in danger of being replaced by thinner and thinner smartphones. Quick scrolling and browsing have made traditional speed reading technology out of reach. Reading micro videos is certainly a happier moment than reading long documents. Reading gossip and anecdotes It is naturally a relaxing time compared to reading eight-part editorials. Fragmentation, superficiality, and browsing reading are being criticized by traditional reading, but smartphone reading continues to go its own way. Traditional reading is encountering challenges from emerging reading.
However, looking back at the history of human reading, reading methods, reading content, reading carriers, and reading effects, especially publishing to expand reading and promote reading, have always been changing and developing. Reading precedes words, so reading is all-encompassing. A scholar must "read thousands of books" and "travel thousands of miles." He can read both words and videos. As long as you are reading, you are a reader. Text improves reading, and videos will also improve reading efficiency. Reading aloud precedes silent reading, and after silent reading surpasses reading aloud, people still find pleasure in reading aloud, which can make reading aloud a form of reading for all. Publishing expands reading, so can digital technology only be a setback or destruction to reading? As a communication tool that has become popular, digital mobile terminals have established services for a large area of ??people and are filling in every corner of people's lives. At this time, can the process of human reading history be carried away with all this behind? Will bamboo slips, wooden tablets or parchment never be let go? The answer is of course self-explanatory. All we need to do to develop a reading society is to be kind to all reading methods, adhere to the cognitive laws of human reading, promote the integration of traditional reading and emerging reading, and neither let universal reading become universal screen reading - so far, reading paper Books are still the main guarantee for the depth and completeness of human reading. At the same time, in view of the contemporary life characteristics of universal reading, we might as well do a little integration in reading, that is: read the screen when busy, read when free, and everyone can read Reading pictures means a happy life.