[Applause]
what if I told you that by exercising a
skill which all of you have had since
first grade you are likely to become a
wealthier and more successful person in
the future this is a tool which mankind
has regarded is an essential tool for
thousands of years first acknowledged
5000 years ago it was considered a
symbol of power and influence to anybody
who could harness it
the few who had this ability for
considered better than empowered
Almighty even whereas now even though
all of you possess it less will choose
to use it out of your own will so what
is the skill that can promise a free
vacation an immediate adventure or a
passionate turn of events the answer to
this riddle reading that is her personal
enjoyment how many of you here with a
show of hands can tell me that you
dislike reading just like how many of
you here for the show of hands can tell
me that you were wish that you wish you
were reading this instant I’m here to
tell you that you should love reading
and to show you that you will love
reading once you understand its hidden
power to fully grasp the importance of
this tool let’s look at history
innovation in 3000 BC and things as
basic is reading and writing and it was
a defining characteristic of what a
civilization was the creation of this
silent code that can transfer a message
we’re not making a sound not settlements
to become the progressive cultures we
see today in ancient Egypt for example
people actually dedicated their entire
lives to reading and writing describe
were often appointed as chief ministers
next to government officials it is safe
to say that the few in ancient Egypt who
had this ability which only compromised
1% of the population grew well at the
top of the social hierarchy and
respected in their community reading and
writing open doors to understanding the
self society in the natural world it
meant that you had greater understanding
greater insight and control over ideas
shared it was appreciated at the power
do you see this reflected in our society
today in our country in our city or in
our classrooms nowadays reading and
writing is old knows it is no longer
appreciated as a power because this
inflation and accessibility to literacy
has entirely shift of the demand for
beef so reading is widely disregarded by
you a study published by The Huffington
Post showed that out of the pool of
1,000 Americans 28% 20% and not read a
single book in the past year it is
shocking to see such a high number in a
country that has considered a world
power but that’s the United States what
about here in a Managua that are very
swamp a survey was sent to you last week
asking a couple of questions on a scale
from zero to five I was glad to see that
you the question is reading important
the vast majority of you said it was
really important however that they
reflect for the next session
how much do you enjoy reading almost 70
percent of you seemed unsure and
answered in the lower categories and to
next question how many books have you
read in the past six months fifteen
percent of you had not read a single
book and about one-third of you had to
read maybe one or two how is it possible
that we’re not reading and that
Americans aren’t reading how is it
possible that we’re not reading when 83%
of the world today is reported as
literate a potential answer lies in one
of the greatest yet arguably detrimental
advancements over time information and
communication technologies as a tension
shifted towards your iPhone’s
laptops Netflix in social media reading
has become stale so mutter technology
has a game in a game although it has
United our worlds enhanced communication
provided amusement and even educated us
through platforms like Khan Academy and
said it also has a dark side technology
first off is great addictive Americans
are reported to watch up to four hours
of television alone a day and rates of
this addiction are as high as 25% in
this population this can vary in
different ways it can harm you it’s like
psychologically since the overuse of
Technology is associated with the
development of psychotic disorders
especially ADHD it can also harm you
socially since the overuse of Technology
is associated with less social
interaction consequently less social
skills and it can even harm you
physically it’s computer vision syndrome
strains our eyesight and is fairly
common affecting from 50 to 90% of
people who view a computer screen daily
and that includes us however unlike
technology books won’t harm you reading
has never been reported to create
psychological or social problems
contrary they can solve such disorders
if you still don’t believe me I have
narrowed down my core main benefits
which reading provide in the way that it
is really a superpower we all know that
reading has a strong correlation with
academic achievement but do you know why
your National Endowment for the Arts
found that SAT scores are roughly 30
points higher for people who with 100 or
more books at home this is because these
tests test your reading and writing
abilities so having books at home and
actually reading them can give you an
advantage it’s not only an advantage
into your scores but also an advantage
into your future success and career in
fact business and fighter insider found
that people who had higher SAT scores
likely to be accepted to top colleges
more likely to earn advanced degrees
more likely to earn more scholarship
money and more likely to gain more
income more money in this entire process
boils down to reading and knowing this
why not choose to read the second
benefit is escape both literally as we
just discussed but also figuratively
sometimes we need a distraction
and books allow you to step into the
feet of another person and experience a
journey other than your own life a new I
open extort these characters on pen and
paper transfer a message without making
a sound they can make you feel a certain
way without it being your story and they
can make you learn progressively this
beautiful concept is vaguely similar to
how our generation loses themselves into
a Netflix but without the implications
of Technology the third benefit is one
that we can all relate to stress all of
us here are stressed over a part hours
full work are exhausting extracurricular
activities and our busy social lives so
what can we possibly do about it well
reading is among the best stee stressors
it allows you to alleviate attention
from your body and even help you fall
asleep easier when it comes to school
you may need a book in order to
alleviate stress however school may be
the reason why you don’t enjoy books in
the first place let’s revisit our
serving to the question asking whether
you enjoyed the books of school assign
note that more than half of you strongly
disliked the books that our curriculum
of science so if you fit into these four
lower categories ask yourself have you
subconsciously created a negative image
based on reading based on a book that
you were once forced to read and Squa
this happened to me not at school but at
home my mom being a writer pressure me
to enjoy reading
very young age so I mindlessly pushed
anything away until I found a book of my
own interest I encourage you to do the
same so pinpoint a genre that you’re
interested in then go to your local
library research online or even ask your
peers for a recommendation and lastly
stick to it you will find a book that
you identify with you’re a special book
among the countless ones out there the
port benefits most importantly can build
community a study published by The
Huffington Post show the people who had
recently read fictional books had
experienced boosts and empathy this is
because as we read we identify with a
protagonist you become more self-aware
and aware of others because we’re in the
feet of another person this means that
we’re capable of in twinning what other
people feel
we are capable of in twinning what other
people think this is the fourth benefit
social understanding empathy
communication or as I like to call it a
mind-reading ability a superpower I
would like you all to close your eyes
imagine a society where we were all
mindful where nobody ever became a
social outcast where you did not have to
bottle up feelings because those around
you understood imagine if you knew how
to communicate effectively with others
therefore preventing conflicts or
solving it now open your eyes to see
that if we’ve all had this mind-reading
ability our community would reach
unprecedented heights why should you
believe me well because I experienced
this shift in my own family and social
circle you’re a book that changed my
life all the light we cannot see by
Anthony Doerr this book features a young
German soldier named Verner
during World War two one of the most
impactful scenes in the book features
him being trapped underground with the
vibrations of bombs nearby and deprived
to basic life support the way the
chapter is described is disturbing and I
found immense sympathy but more
importantly I gained sudden in-depth
understanding and appreciation for a
family member of mine
I had always been aware that my
grandfather considered an intellectual
force in my family had experienced a
similar scene to the one Verner and the
book had but I never really got it but
after stepping into the feet of the
character of this book I suddenly need
appreciation and I understood I
understood why I won we would but two
restaurants would say order what you
wish but finished every last sight I
understood why every ounce of food was
significant just a small piece of his
abroad of mind his experience through a
war as an innocent kid I was able to
perceive their burners perspective
perhaps the craziest connection of all
is that my grandfather like the
protagonist of this book was also named
foreigner they were both brilliant brave
and lived through pivotal experiences
and now I Eleanor because of a book to a
greater extent understood them and there
we are so let’s recap reading has
critical benefits ranging from
increasing your likeliness to succeed in
life to reaching global
interconnectivity through empathy we can
unlock so much potential so let’s do it
take this from me somebody your own age
for understanding reading is critical
not only because of the previous
benefits I just listed but also because
there is an underlying
benefit that is the books carry the
development of society from the
beginning of time how do we know about
the first myths in history they were
parchments that became the first books
how do we know what to believe about God
the Bible the Koran the Torah
the Noble Eightfold Path how do we know
about evolution Darwin’s On the Origin
of Species and so on again we can unlock
so much potential so let’s allow reading
to help us emerge is the best version of
ourselves with more insight with more
empathy with likeliness to succeed with
a mind-reading ability you could learn
so much more about yourself and you
could learn so much more about the world
around you every important event and
innovation and legacy and historical
figure has been captured in a book and
so will they continue to be there books
people have been able to leave a message
a mark a legacy understanding the past
in communicating with the future it
simultaneously allowed them to stand out
from the crowd and to push Society
forward but of course all of these
stories would be left untold unless we
read them thank you
[Applause]
what if I told you that by exercising a
skill which all of you have had since
first grade you are likely to become a
wealthier and more successful person in
the future this is a tool which mankind
has regarded is an essential tool for
thousands of years first acknowledged
5000 years ago it was considered a
symbol of power and influence to anybody
who could harness it
the few who had this ability for
considered better than empowered
Almighty even whereas now even though
all of you possess it less will choose
to use it out of your own will so what
is the skill that can promise a free
vacation an immediate adventure or a
passionate turn of events the answer to
this riddle reading that is her personal
enjoyment how many of you here with a
show of hands can tell me that you
dislike reading just like how many of
you here for the show of hands can tell
me that you were wish that you wish you
were reading this instant I’m here to
tell you that you should love reading
and to show you that you will love
reading once you understand its hidden
power to fully grasp the importance of
this tool let’s look at history
innovation in 3000 BC and things as
basic is reading and writing and it was
a defining characteristic of what a
civilization was the creation of this
silent code that can transfer a message
we’re not making a sound not settlements
to become the progressive cultures we
see today in ancient Egypt for example
people actually dedicated their entire
lives to reading and writing describe
were often appointed as chief ministers
next to government officials it is safe
to say that the few in ancient Egypt who
had this ability which only compromised
1% of the population grew well at the
top of the social hierarchy and
respected in their community reading and
writing open doors to understanding the
self society in the natural world it
meant that you had greater understanding
greater insight and control over ideas
shared it was appreciated at the power
do you see this reflected in our society
today in our country in our city or in
our classrooms nowadays reading and
writing is old knows it is no longer
appreciated as a power because this
inflation and accessibility to literacy
has entirely shift of the demand for
beef so reading is widely disregarded by
you a study published by The Huffington
Post showed that out of the pool of
1,000 Americans 28% 20% and not read a
single book in the past year it is
shocking to see such a high number in a
country that has considered a world
power but that’s the United States what
about here in a Managua that are very
swamp a survey was sent to you last week
asking a couple of questions on a scale
from zero to five I was glad to see that
you the question is reading important
the vast majority of you said it was
really important however that they
reflect for the next session
how much do you enjoy reading almost 70
percent of you seemed unsure and
answered in the lower categories and to
next question how many books have you
read in the past six months fifteen
percent of you had not read a single
book and about one-third of you had to
read maybe one or two how is it possible
that we’re not reading and that
Americans aren’t reading how is it
possible that we’re not reading when 83%
of the world today is reported as
literate a potential answer lies in one
of the greatest yet arguably detrimental
advancements over time information and
communication technologies as a tension
shifted towards your iPhone’s
laptops Netflix in social media reading
has become stale so mutter technology
has a game in a game although it has
United our worlds enhanced communication
provided amusement and even educated us
through platforms like Khan Academy and
said it also has a dark side technology
first off is great addictive Americans
are reported to watch up to four hours
of television alone a day and rates of
this addiction are as high as 25% in
this population this can vary in
different ways it can harm you it’s like
psychologically since the overuse of
Technology is associated with the
development of psychotic disorders
especially ADHD it can also harm you
socially since the overuse of Technology
is associated with less social
interaction consequently less social
skills and it can even harm you
physically it’s computer vision syndrome
strains our eyesight and is fairly
common affecting from 50 to 90% of
people who view a computer screen daily
and that includes us however unlike
technology books won’t harm you reading
has never been reported to create
psychological or social problems
contrary they can solve such disorders
if you still don’t believe me I have
narrowed down my core main benefits
which reading provide in the way that it
is really a superpower we all know that
reading has a strong correlation with
academic achievement but do you know why
your National Endowment for the Arts
found that SAT scores are roughly 30
points higher for people who with 100 or
more books at home this is because these
tests test your reading and writing
abilities so having books at home and
actually reading them can give you an
advantage it’s not only an advantage
into your scores but also an advantage
into your future success and career in
fact business and fighter insider found
that people who had higher SAT scores
likely to be accepted to top colleges
more likely to earn advanced degrees
more likely to earn more scholarship
money and more likely to gain more
income more money in this entire process
boils down to reading and knowing this
why not choose to read the second
benefit is escape both literally as we
just discussed but also figuratively
sometimes we need a distraction
and books allow you to step into the
feet of another person and experience a
journey other than your own life a new I
open extort these characters on pen and
paper transfer a message without making
a sound they can make you feel a certain
way without it being your story and they
can make you learn progressively this
beautiful concept is vaguely similar to
how our generation loses themselves into
a Netflix but without the implications
of Technology the third benefit is one
that we can all relate to stress all of
us here are stressed over a part hours
full work are exhausting extracurricular
activities and our busy social lives so
what can we possibly do about it well
reading is among the best stee stressors
it allows you to alleviate attention
from your body and even help you fall
asleep easier when it comes to school
you may need a book in order to
alleviate stress however school may be
the reason why you don’t enjoy books in
the first place let’s revisit our
serving to the question asking whether
you enjoyed the books of school assign
note that more than half of you strongly
disliked the books that our curriculum
of science so if you fit into these four
lower categories ask yourself have you
subconsciously created a negative image
based on reading based on a book that
you were once forced to read and Squa
this happened to me not at school but at
home my mom being a writer pressure me
to enjoy reading
very young age so I mindlessly pushed
anything away until I found a book of my
own interest I encourage you to do the
same so pinpoint a genre that you’re
interested in then go to your local
library research online or even ask your
peers for a recommendation and lastly
stick to it you will find a book that
you identify with you’re a special book
among the countless ones out there the
port benefits most importantly can build
community a study published by The
Huffington Post show the people who had
recently read fictional books had
experienced boosts and empathy this is
because as we read we identify with a
protagonist you become more self-aware
and aware of others because we’re in the
feet of another person this means that
we’re capable of in twinning what other
people feel
we are capable of in twinning what other
people think this is the fourth benefit
social understanding empathy
communication or as I like to call it a
mind-reading ability a superpower I
would like you all to close your eyes
imagine a society where we were all
mindful where nobody ever became a
social outcast where you did not have to
bottle up feelings because those around
you understood imagine if you knew how
to communicate effectively with others
therefore preventing conflicts or
solving it now open your eyes to see
that if we’ve all had this mind-reading
ability our community would reach
unprecedented heights why should you
believe me well because I experienced
this shift in my own family and social
circle you’re a book that changed my
life all the light we cannot see by
Anthony Doerr this book features a young
German soldier named Verner
during World War two one of the most
impactful scenes in the book features
him being trapped underground with the
vibrations of bombs nearby and deprived
to basic life support the way the
chapter is described is disturbing and I
found immense sympathy but more
importantly I gained sudden in-depth
understanding and appreciation for a
family member of mine
I had always been aware that my
grandfather considered an intellectual
force in my family had experienced a
similar scene to the one Verner and the
book had but I never really got it but
after stepping into the feet of the
character of this book I suddenly need
appreciation and I understood I
understood why I won we would but two
restaurants would say order what you
wish but finished every last sight I
understood why every ounce of food was
significant just a small piece of his
abroad of mind his experience through a
war as an innocent kid I was able to
perceive their burners perspective
perhaps the craziest connection of all
is that my grandfather like the
protagonist of this book was also named
foreigner they were both brilliant brave
and lived through pivotal experiences
and now I Eleanor because of a book to a
greater extent understood them and there
we are so let’s recap reading has
critical benefits ranging from
increasing your likeliness to succeed in
life to reaching global
interconnectivity through empathy we can
unlock so much potential so let’s do it
take this from me somebody your own age
for understanding reading is critical
not only because of the previous
benefits I just listed but also because
there is an underlying
benefit that is the books carry the
development of society from the
beginning of time how do we know about
the first myths in history they were
parchments that became the first books
how do we know what to believe about God
the Bible the Koran the Torah
the Noble Eightfold Path how do we know
about evolution Darwin’s On the Origin
of Species and so on again we can unlock
so much potential so let’s allow reading
to help us emerge is the best version of
ourselves with more insight with more
empathy with likeliness to succeed with
a mind-reading ability you could learn
so much more about yourself and you
could learn so much more about the world
around you every important event and
innovation and legacy and historical
figure has been captured in a book and
so will they continue to be there books
people have been able to leave a message
a mark a legacy understanding the past
in communicating with the future it
simultaneously allowed them to stand out
from the crowd and to push Society
forward but of course all of these
stories would be left untold unless we
read them thank you
[Applause]
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