The Deeper Answer To Why You Should Read
How To Become A Reader 101: Part 1
So, you want to become a reader?
You have been seeing all these influencers and celebrities recommend books. And now you're wondering about giving it a shot as well.
Well, then you are at the right place!
Let me help you figure out How To Become A Reader.
The First Question You Want To Ask Yourself To Become A Reader Is...
WHY do you want to read?
You always want to start with the why.
In the case of Reading, the Why is often pretty straightforward. They are the 3 Es -
Education. Entertainment. Escape.
Everyone starts here. I did too. (PS. it was an Escape for me.)
That's the surface-level answer to the Why.
The Deeper Answer To Why
I won't bore you with the generic benefits of Reading.
Just to name a few, Reading
Reduces Stress
Increases Knowledge
Beats Depression
And does a lot of other helpful things.
But...
Having been a reader for 14+ years, I found there's more to Reading than just the basics.
Let me share them with you.
You Have A Q? There's An A In A Book Somewhere.
Reading is equivalent to thinking with someone else's head instead of with one's own.
- Arthur Schopenhauer
Oftentimes, we think we are different from our ancestors.
Well, you could say technology-wise, we are different (but then there's a discussion there as well).
But when it comes to being human beings, we are not that different from great-grandfathers and mothers.
We share the same hope and desires. We share the same pain. We have the same questions. And we are always looking for answers.
Keeping that in mind, you look at books written by our ancestors as a gold mine.
Hundreds and thousands of authors came before us, faced the same problems and wrote a book about it.
All we have to do is find that book and read it.
Relationships. Career. Singlehood. Parenthood. Daily Errands. Anything and everything under the sun.
You don't need to struggle on your own. The answers are out there already.
Bonus benefit:
Knowing that there's an answer in a book somewhere lets you know that you can overcome any obstacle you're facing.
It gives you hope, faith, trust and security.
Opens Your Eyes To Different Perspective
Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else's shoes for a while.
- Malorie Blackman
Many times, and not consciously, we only think, interpret and react from our own lessons and perspectives.
Though that's useful, it's one-dimensional.
When you read a book by an author who's a different race, colour, gender, sexuality, age, from a different country, upbringing and education than yourself, you realise that there's more to this world than what you see every day.
You realise the sameness you share with others. You learn the differences you share with others. You realise there's more than one way of tackling an obstacle.
You realise that none of you is wrong. You just have different opinions.
This makes you more humble and human towards your fellow human beings.
More Pleasurable And Effortless For The Brain
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
- Joseph Addison
Videos and book summaries are like painkillers.
They immediate numb out the pain.
Books are a lifestyle change.
They help you remove the root cause of the pain.
Am I saying videos and book summaries are to be avoided entirely? Absolutely not.
I, too, look them up every now and then.
But the in-depth understanding reading a book provides beats nothing else.
The gradual trickle of information, rather than information dumping, let you connect the dots for yourself.
Therefore, letting you find a solution that works for you.
Reading Changes You
Because of the above three points, I am a different person now. And because I keep reading, I keep evolving.
Life is never about finding yourself. It's about discovering yourself.
You are already there, all of it - everything you hope and desire.
Reading is one way of unearthing all that treasure you hold within yourself.
