Read!

A friend recently said something about how spending money on textbooks in college is a waste of money. And I guess it is, if you never open them up and read them. Here's where I was—as an avid reader—offended: He suggested that rather than spend your money on textbooks, you should spend it on something cool.

Well, here's what: It's not cool to brag about how you passed a course without ever cracking a book.

I'll admit that I didn't read every single piece of required material during college and grad school. I'll also admit that I haven't kept up with the news in the last two months. I'll further admit that I haven't read a novel from cover to cover in about four months.

Those admissions are embarrassing, though. No, no one's perfect, and no, I don't expect everyone to be reading all day, every day. But people who can read should read. Read articles published for your chosen profession. Read the news every once in a while. Read a few magazines when you have some time to spare. And don't—under any circumstance—act like reading isn't worth your time. There are so many people in the world who don't know how to read because no one bothered to teach them. Or because they don't live in a place where it's allowed. Literacy is a blessing, and reading is a luxury. Take advantage of it.