Reading is the process of decoding messages.

It is an active process that engages our

brains to comprehend the text. We used our eyes to decode the written symbols and letters,
and then made meaning out of them. It is a two-way communication between the author and
the reader. It takes time to focus in order to understand and interpret. Thinking skills are
needed to reflect and make connections out of what you read. Reading doesn't come naturally;
reading is learning. You read for a purpose. Some read for pleasure, and some read to learn
something. When you read a certain text, you have an intention. You look for the content to be
more than the form. You're looking for something substantial to read, and you take what you
need and apply it.

Critical reading is beyond basic understanding. Certain processes, models, questions,

and ideas are applied by the reader, resulting in improved clarity and comprehension. Critical
reading is a type of language analysis that examines the claims being made, as well as the
supporting points and any counterarguments, rather than taking the text at face value. You dig
deeper and try to decipher what the author is trying to convey. It is more than just grasping the
message behind the surface of the text. Critical reading needs a reading method that includes
previewing, study-reading, and reviewing. At first preview, you skim, develop questions, and
recall prior knowledge. Next is study-reading. You answer the questions you have developed in
previewing, then take essential notes, identify the main ideas, and reflect on what you read.
Compare your prior knowledge to what you have learned in your reading. Last, review the
stated main ideas. Determine the emphasis or the significance of the content. You evaluate and
translate the author's messages. 

To sum it up, reading is important as we face our lives. The more you read, the more
you learn as we expand our perspectives. And also enlighten us about the things we are
confused about. Moreover, it gives us a good command of reading. Reading will lead you to
learn more skills. It will increase our knowledge and wisdom and will help us grow as we learn.
Thus, we should take time to learn to read. "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...
The man who never reads lives only one." George R.R. Martin