When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time reading. I'd force my dad or uncle to bring me to the library or the bookstore, and when I got old enough, I'd go to these places by myself. I'd get lost in the bookshelves, picking up books at random and then devouring them with enthusiasm. I learned a lot of things in between the shelves, and in between the covers, and in between the lines. Reading really opened up my mind and my imagination and in a way, it shaped the way I think.
Heck, everything I know about puberty was picked up from the section on anatomy in the old NLB.
Every book is a story and stories make sense. Having read so much, I approach life as if it is a story, even now at the age of 23, and as if everything should make sense, and as if I'm the protagonist. There will be obstacles, sure, but these obstacles are actually there to pave the way for a better ending - to make me stronger, tougher, and whatnot. I'm still far from the end of my story, so whether my life will unfold like one is still something that remains to be seen.
I want to say that everyone should read, but that's an over-generalization I don't have the authority to make. What I can definitely say though, is that reading is definitely good for you. It'll improve your language - as you read more books (which are written and edited by professionals), you get a better grasp of the various nuances of the English language, and even if you don't know the rules of it (like me), you develop a sixth-sense which will go off when something feels...well, for the lack of better word, off. I guess you'll improve your writing too, though I'm not sure to what extent.
Reading also helps expand your mind and your heart. Every new book delivers a dosage of information which you may not have been purview to before, things which you may not learn by just going to school. And this sort of differs from the more visual arts like cinema and television for the prime reason that authors are often quite generous with their descriptions, and they don't skimp on details.
Expanding your heart comes from the different point of views that books adapt. For fiction books, each book follows the steps of a unique protagonist, and some books (like the ASoiIaF series) even offer multiple point of views. It's the closest thing you can get to literally being in someone else's shoe. The truly best books have you relating to the character's feeling, empathizing with his aspirations and going through his struggles. I feel that books gives you an understanding of people which other media simply can't express.
Last but not least, books give you a very good grounding in the systems which dictate our lives. Okay, what do I mean by this? If you think about it, everything in our life is a story. From the things the theories that we're learning in school to why people behave in certain ways. Everything has a beginning, middle and conclusion. Everything has a message, everyone has a motivation, and every action has a consequence. Reading gives you the ability to recognize things for what they are and identify some of the truly important things others might miss at first glance.
You can also adopt this story-telling into your daily life - knowing how story works will make your conversations better. When you're recounting something to someone, you'd know how to begin and how to end in a satisfactory manner. Let's not stop at conversations - even presentations and reports have a story to tell. There is a beginning, an end, and everything in the middle is there to hold our hands as we journey to the end.
So I've made my points. I guess it just saddens me that people don't read, and with this post, I'm trying to encourage people to read more by highlighting only a few of the important takeaways of reading. People get busy with life, and work, or drown themselves in the more convenient forms of entertainment to the point where reading is no longer a part of their lives, when it fact, it should be. There are also people who dismiss reading as a thing you do when you're in school, but it's more than that. It's healthy entertainment. Given the right books, your life can fucking change.
When I started this post, I actually wanted to simply recommend a few books which I've read, and which I think people might be interested in. I guess that'll be up on another day. In writing the opening paragraphs though, I found myself talking about reading and as I went on, I found that there were simply too many things that had to be said. If you've read this far, then good for you. You're taking steps in the right direction. Thank you for bearing with me and my writing, which is so far from perfect that I'm literally shaking at the thought of putting it up for people to read...but this is the only way I'll get better.
Now go grab a good book.
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