Why read books?

At an age of images and videos flooding news feeds on Facebook and Twitter, reading has lost its' charm for many. Working against the clock, easy access to information and lack of interest has deprived the world the pleasure of reading. Reading is an enriching experience that teases the human mind to dive into the realms of the unknown. If you have never had the pleasure of reading a good novel you are depriving yourself of the most powerful feeling of pleasure.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”- Charles William Eliot

When was the last time you sat down to read an book? When was the last time you actually started reading something just because the title or first sentence was intriguing? When was the last time you lost note of time while reading? Did you ever lose track of the outside world while reading? Remember to never ask a person to tell you the story of the book they are reading, what you will hear is their version of the book because no two people will read the same book the same way. If you read a lot of books you'd come to realize that no thought is as new as it seems to you. Every thought goes around the world just like the planets that go around the sun.

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Sometimes, you need to go on a blind date with a book. You have to pick a book of the shelf and lose yourself in it. This is very important if you want to think beyond that which you believe and that which have heard. Without even realizing you are feeding on information from the world wide web like a hungry goat. Feed your soul with good books. Put that phone down and sometimes touch a book and reconnect to the feel of feeling alive. In a book you'd personally enjoy being defeated.

A good book, when your'e done reading will make you talk about it all day long. The more you read, the more the invisible and invincible friends you will have to discuss and argue in your very own imaginary rooms. If you thought fantasy as a myth I dare you to read a novel on fantasy; you'd be defending the angels and fairies and fighting dragons and villains in books you read. The soul finds a new counterpart in every book it encounters. You need no constant friend if you have a good book in hand. Books have been the most significant influence in human evolution, be not afraid to be influenced by literature and poetry. Like good friends and a good partner it might take time to find the right book.

“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”― Francis Bacon

When you read a book your imagination will come out to paint the characters in their suits and skirts and the whole book comes to life right before your eyes only for you to see and enjoy. The essence of any book is what you see and feel when you read a book, a good book leaves you living the book and a bad book releases your attention. Dare to divulge your understanding of a book to a friend you think you agree to and you'd be surprised how much you have to disagree. Read books with no pictures and you'd see a whole lot of colors and images that are not limited to the author's imagination.

Don't you remember most of the fairy tales you've read as a child, maybe not the exact words but the crux of it is etched in your memory. Fairy tales not only got us into believing the magic of life and beasts can be won with love but also that dragons can be beaten black and blue. There would have been a time you would have read a book and it would have filled you with this weird feeling that you were so convinced that your friends and family should also experience the happiness that you can never explain.

Read with a partner Read with a friend, 

Read in the train 
Read on a journey, 

Read as a family 
Read when alone, 

Read in the morning or read when it is noon, 

Read when you can or read as you must. 

What a book has to offer is you cant behold!

Read until, you are finally sold

For what you take away 
Is nothing but a new soul!

If there is one thing you'd need to pass on to your children, let it be the urge to read. Do not ask your child to read, if she or he finds you reading a book earnestly, losing yourself to the book they'd be as interested as you'd be as now you've kindled the soul. Let children of the society lose track of time in a quiet place to a book they don't have to read but chose to because they believe the book has something to offer. Let them learn the art of choice by choosing a book, let them learn the art of let go by closing a bad book, let them learn the art of love by losing themselves to a book.

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all."–Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis