Reading, Should It Be A Habit Hard To Break

Reading not a habit in where I come from is because of the ever-high book prices? I don't merely think so!

There are those who actually manage to afford books or borrow them from friends or public/school libraries. If it's a matter of finding a scapegoat, we can actually blame it on the road conditions and the public transport drivers' manners in the street. Or simply, should I say the traffic conditions in general?

Modern people are getting busier and busier that they only have very limited spare time. I believe it's not they don't like to read, but it's more likely they don't have time to read. So when they find an interesting book to read, I think they would steal time to read it. The best stolen time can be on the way to or from work, especially when they don't have to drive (either they have someone else to drive for them (the filthy rich) or they take a public transport)

But the problem is, the road conditions in where I come from are terrible, even the main ones surrounded by skyscrappers. Getting on a vehicle moving on bumpy roads would terribly shake the hell out of anybody, that of course it's not comfortable to read in such condition. Not to mention when they happen to be in a public transport, they would also get sickeningly shaken because of the way the driver drives. Not to mention all those honking sounds of impatient drivers and swearing words that distract the attention - even when they only try to read a short article.

Jakarta is notoriously known for its traffic jams and actually it's a good time to steal to read. But how many of you not having to drive yourself in traffic jam's madness, or getting the rare privilege to sit comfortably in public transports at rush hours?

So let's not give the burden to improve the nation's reading habit to the Education and Culture Ministry alone, but the Transport Minstry also has to bear the share of the responsibility.