Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.
JOHN GREEN, An Abundance of Katherines
I love good books. Some of my friends do too. I know a few who gets bored with them and there are some who just doesn’t get the point.
While good books may have advocates and detractors alike, they are like this friend who’s never insecure. Books are confident with their worth and does not care whether we disregard them, or we keep them as company. Here are a few reasons why having a good reading habit is always for our advantage.
1. You will learn about life
Let’s state the obvious, reading books is the best way to acquire knowledge. It worked in the past and it still works to this day. Now while experience and mistakes teach us hard lessons about life, I would like to argue that it’s still smarter to learn from other’s experiences. Past generations have left us books that pretty much gives us an idea on how to deal with life. It will save us time and it can prevent unnecessary heartache. Reading books is like getting bonus points in a game, it makes you level up and it improves the kind of problems you deal with. Seriously, there are things that we should not be focusing on anymore especially those out of our control. A good book will make you realize that. I’ve had many experiences where I read a book and I’m just wishing I had read it before. You will find the insights to be just priceless.
2. You will have a good – reliable friend
If you’re reading a good book, you know that hard work, research, time, and effort were invested so that the knowledge will be passed on to you in a way that is simple and easy to understand. When I think about it, it fills my heart with gratitude. Just imagine, you’re given a map and you’re not left alone in the wilderness. It can serve as your guide when making tough decisions and you can refer to it every now and then when you feel lost – there will be direction and warning signs. Hey, it’s not asking you for too much, only the time it needs to pass you the gems. Just pick it up and read- you’re in for a world of good and wonder.
3. You will be interesting to talk to
While there is some form of fun having to be the source of TV series or gossip updates, it would be a lot better if you have something more important to talk about. Our society is now connected more than ever but sometimes, you’ll get the sense that conversations have been reduced to virtual hellos, GIFs and comment mentions. If we ever get the chance to really talk to someone, would it not be more memorable to make it a meaningful conversation – an event where important ideas are exchanged and will leave us knowing that we made a difference. Reading books is such a reliable way of learning new things that we can also share to people we meet. You see, a book is a gift that keeps on giving. Why not be a vessel of generosity?
4. You will explore the world.
Traveling is quite a trend nowadays that sometimes, people get a synthetic experience about how it is to explore other cultures. Reading about their culture through books would be a great way to get a glimpse of what it really is to get the local experience. It may not beat the experience of physically being there, but it has the same effect. Laurie Helgoe said it best: “Reading is like travel, allowing you to exit your own life for a bit, and to come back with a renewed, even inspired, perspective.” Reading about the history behind how a city flourished under difficult circumstances, learning how a certain language evolved, what their greetings really meant and learning a local recipe or two are all other ways you can still explore other countries minus the airfare. Not all of us have the means but books will make the anticipation quite a wonderful experience- it’s like you’ve been there.
5. You will gain new perspective
Have you had that experience where you believed in something for so long- you are convinced that you are right, and you even confidently share it to others- only to learn that it’s wrong or you have been applying it in a completely different purpose? Well, this happens. I’m not saying that reading will help you completely avoid this scenario, but it will give you insight to different perspectives and will develop your critical thinking ability. This may loosen you up a bit knowing that sometimes, there are multiple facets to a story, and this will help you make well-informed decisions in the future.
6. It can change your life
Some people would say that a book contains things they already know about and did not help them at all. Some thinks otherwise. I’d say it depends. A book can change your life only if you want it to. At the end of the day, it’s up to you whether to apply the things you learned. I, for one, have been both the reader who listens and the reader who forgets. This is one of the motivations behind building this blog, to help me become an active listener and apply what I have read, and it would be nice for you to come along too. 😊
If you’re familiar with Rory from Gilmore Girls, she has this line where she said that she lives “in two worlds; one is a world of books.” I’d like for these two worlds to become one. Through this blog, I invite you to take the journey with me and be part of how I take the challenge of applying what I read through monthly-themed resolutions extracted from featured books I have read.
P.S. Just like friends, I choose books which I think are good company. While I love reading books, it is best for us to be careful with what we choose to read as it can influence us for the better or the worse.
Sending all my love,
Ada