It's tempting to believe that as long as one reads a lot, he will achieve success in reading and be a good thinker eventually. But, I have been holding a belief that reading without a proper way is just a waste of time while the way can only gets you so far unless you practice with it.
Reading without a proper way is like wandering about without knowing where you are, ignoring the fact that you may get lost already. All you get is stange people around you, noises from streets and cars, and fogs floating in the air. Yes, you don't know where you are, where you will go, and who you can ask for help. You just don't have the free rein to take control of your direction. Such dilemma can be compounded by unconsciousness. That means you don't think there is anything wrong with the situation and even gets used to it.
The way is not available in every circumstance, though. Once got a way, some adaptation has be made in order to better suit you and different situations. Improvement in reading is best served by continual practice and reflection on the practice.
In short, reading today should not be defined as only a way to relax oneself. More importanly, it sparks calls for more knowledge and development of citical thinking. Once we take it serious enough, reading will no longer be just reading itself. It creates incentives for us to refrain from being lazy as a thinker, but to take advantage of every possible way to stir it up.
