Little Black Marks
“Twenty-six different shapes known as letters, arranged in endless combinations known as words. Lifeless, until someone’s eye falls on them. The eye's owner is changed too. The little black marks can make him love or hate, laugh or cry, fight or run away. And what do we call this incredible chain of events? Reading.”
Norman Vincent Peale
That’s how Norman Vincent Peale describes the miracle of reading. Today, we take reading for granted as we learn our ABCs while we learn to talk. However, for most of human history - humans evolved 200,000 years ago - our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, and the only knowledge a child received was from its parents and elders. Imagine the plight of a genius hunter-gatherer who invented a waterproof basket. The new invention could spread only as far as she could walk! For a long time in history (approximately 194700 years) facts lasted only as long as living memories. Sometimes, they were passed to future generations as stories which became legends. The invention of writing in 3200 BC broke these limits and ushered in a new era of human progress. Even then, reading and writing was a property of the elite. This limit was in turn shattered by the invention of the printing press in 1440 AD which exponentially increased the propagation of knowledge, and brought equality with it. Every revolution that brought freedom to the downtrodden had writing as its backbone. Books are, in fact, the building blocks of liberty.
Reading did not only free us from the bounds of space, time and subjugation, it also gave each person the freedom to interpret and visualize another one’s thoughts. Even if a million people read the same book, the experience of reading is intensely rich, personal, and powerful. Take this line, for example, from the Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse:
“There came from without the hoof-beats of a galloping relative and Aunt Dahlia whizzed in.”
Can the best screenplay or the most ingenious director convey this on screen? Or can a movie spark thought in a few words like the words
“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.”
from “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith? That is why the book is always better than the movie! Many addictions develop because of the need to escape from apparently inescapable situations. This can take many forms, like internet addiction and workaholism to outright substance abuse. Reading offers an escape without addictions or withdrawal symptoms. And what’s more, the enhanced brain activity might actually help find a solution to the original situation!
Think of a book that you read and loved. The feel of the book, the illustrations on the cover, it’s smell - the sweet smell of a new book, or the distinctive smell of a library book- the texture of the page, the font, the illustrations that enliven it. You will be surprised at how much you can recollect. Reading makes you actively connect what you read with what you already know. This is also why we remember what we read for much longer than what we watch or hear. Reading also provides a way to examine another’s perspective without being derailed by arguments. Historical fiction can bring characters and locations to life better than the dates and names in history textbooks. The most abstract topics in science, from string theory to the theory of memetics are explained simply in popular science books. Reading can open up your boundaries, release you from prejudices and make you more articulate. So why not pick up a book?
The most common excuse that people give is that they don't have the time to read. You can read even a few pages of a book a day and finish it before you know it. Others restrict themselves because they do not have access to “useful” books. Please, read whatever is available. Even the most cliched 120 page romance novels require occupations and backgrounds for the hero and heroine, a location, and a problem that keeps them apart. You come across all those in 120 pages, you get to put your creativity to use, and most probably, learn a new word or two. So, read whatever you can get your hands on. Pick up a newspaper instead of switching on the news. You cannot be distracted and miss something important. You cannot listen to it partly while talking to someone else.
The Internet has made books much more accessible than ever before: Sites like www.gutenberg.com provide access to a huge number of ebooks in the public domain. You can also install the Moon+ Reader app on your smartphone for instant access to thousands of ebooks. For those who don’t have the time to read a book at a stretch, there are facilities that provide a ‘trickle’ of a few pages everyday - such as dripread.com or dailylit.com. For those who like only printed books, it takes less than a minute to order a book you want, and some sites offer used books too. Some libraries have online payment and door delivery options.
Some of you are already voracious readers. You might be feeling like I’m preaching to the choir. However, are you making the best use of your reading habit? Do you have a few choice authors and genres? When you read non-fiction books, do you restrict yourself to only your field? Here is a suggestion- ask an acquaintance to suggest a book. Don’t ask what it is about or the name of the author. Just pick up the book with an open mind. You will be amazed at how fresh your mind feels the next day!
G.G Martin said “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.” Why live only once when you have a chance to live a thousand lives? If you do not read much, please start your journey today. If you already have a reading habit, spice it up!
Happy Reading!
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