Honestly.....as someone who loves to read, I don't think that reading is actually vital. People can learn how to use their mind from many different sources. Non-literate societies can have brilliant, insightful, imaginative people, just like literate ones. I read because it's the way that I most enjoy spending time in the world of a story. Other people read for other reasons. Other people prefer not to read, or to read only occasionally, and spend their time mentally engaging with other things. All of that is okay!