WHY AND HOW TO START READING AGAIN?

Abstract

With the given title „Why and How to Start Reading Again“, our intention was two-fold: Firstly, to remind ourselves about our people of the past who, when it came to reading books, were, up to the 19th century, among the most literate peoples of the Balkans. Emerging as a consequence of this was our social and cultural status, as well as the respect which reflected on our self-confidence and pride. Hence, the word „again“ in the title. Subsequently during the 70s of the last century, we were once again in a significant upward trend which lasted for two decades, until the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the spring of 1992. With the aggression against our country and especially the planned and executed genocide against the Bosniaks, along with the simultaneous depopulation, it could be felt everywhere that the historical development of a nation and its people was violently interrupted. In widespread destruction, erosion and impoverishment, it was difficult to immediately notice how the torching of the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a Nero-like plan so that there would be no more books and books would not be read and be a source of learning. Yet, despite this, raising the awareness of developing the habit of reading is still a very slow process. Afterwards, in order to underline the importance and the need for reading, we gave an account of the condition in this field in Europe by linking human progress with regular reading, advance of intelligence and, above all, the nation. Then, we turned towards the family – the most important and the most responsible institution of education and guidance – to which we suggest and give instructions on how to function when it comes to its children in respect to development, as well as maintaining the habit of reading throughout life, with the intention of developing a new generation that will possess a high culture of reading. We concluded with the message that our Islamic being depends on how well-read we are, and consequently everything else will have a different overtone and greater quality.