In today’s world, most would agree that exercising is beneficial for our physical health. Now how many of them exercise is a topic for another day. But at least they agree on the theory and there is a high possibility of it turning to reality. But what about training our minds? After all, we can survive our entire lives without reading a book, isn’t it? Exercising can build our immunities, decrease the risk of heart diseases, lower blood pressure but what can reading possibly change in our lives? Well, let’s dive in cogently.
Reading helps you ‘see more’
Back in medieval or even in modern times, getting to a high-altitude position before the battle is considered to be of great strategic value. The reason? One can simply know the terrain well and the position of the troops one has to beat, so a plan can be made and acted in the best possible manner with the resources available.
Reading more brings about the same change in you. You simply know more and are informed in advance. You almost run a step in the future, where you can spot the patterns happening, connect more dots than your peers down the hill (those who don’t read!)
Say you are on an expedition to find gold in suspected goldmine areas. If you know the type of soil and the changes to expect when you get near to actual goldmines or say even about the selection of the place to dig, unlike your peers who decide to dig a place because it looks good, you have a clear advantage. For it may seem to them that you are already running in future!
Why wouldn’t you want to run in the future or almost the equivalent of it by simply reading more?
Reading helps you make ‘the wiser choice’
We, humans, experiment and learn, as we should. It is possible for a rocket to reach the destination in space without a defined trajectory, provided the rocket has infinite fuel and infinite time. Do we humans have infinite time and energy to do a course correction?
While there is always something special about people willing to experiment and learn, getting a head start is always a great advantage. And the truth is that even the rockets cannot possess infinite fuel or endurance to last for eternity, well we are humans! The same approach of ‘to experience and learn’ can be enormously boosted by information beforehand, that books can provide.
If you know there is traffic on the road you are about to take, you will most certainly take an alternate route and save time for something more productive. There is always more to accomplish in life than you can. There isn’t any point in pulling your hair later because you simply didn’t inform yourself!
Reading exposes you to wider domains
We often are flabbergasted to find out that several outstanding inventions or contributions to a certain field were done by people from a completely different field. Often a mathematician wins a Nobel prize in economics or a physicist makes some noteworthy contribution to psychology.
We quickly call them out as ‘genius’, stay in awe for a moment and move on. While them being ‘geniuses’ is not a bad statement to make but what could be the reason that even being from a completely different domain, they can make a mark?
Maybe the fact that they belong to a different domain plays an important role. When pursuing a major, the courses structure our mind to make us think in certain ways to reach a result. We almost begin to limit our minds by thinking that ‘this is the only way or ways’ to approach. But when a person from a different domain is presented with the same problem, he approaches it differently and there lies the breakthrough.
Now imagine what great advantage you would have if you can have the ability of different approaches in your mind? This could be a brilliant advantage to have by reading on various domains. If searched for, there is wisdom to be found even in fictional stories and who knows how it might slightly alter or add to your approach and you find the next big thing?
One of my favourite fictional conversations that have a deep meaning to it is from the all-time children’s classic Alice in Wonderland.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.” —
– conversation between Alice and Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland.
Reading turns you from a caterpillar to a butterfly
We are born in a society and brought up in a certain way. Depending on the part of the world we belong to and the values our parents or guardians define ideal. Sure, we develop abilities adhering to these values and they form our core. Now make no mistake, these values or structure we grow in, helps us a lot rather than meandering without any direction whatsoever.
But they also confine us to a confined bubble space, which we strictly dare not to breakthrough. Before jumping to the conclusion that we should break all the bubbles right away just because they exist, let’s make a more rational choice. Is it possible to view objectively what good values that you were told to believe, are serving you and which of them aren’t? Are you believing only because someone says it? How can you verify? Are you in some ways a caterpillar in a cocoon waiting to break out and be a butterfly?
Although this seems fairly reasonable to read, we can see it everywhere around. Be it a case of an international conflict, political ideology or simply a performance by a team in a sport; we see people blasting their opinions or garnering support or ‘fighting them’ in the comments section!
The basis for it? Because ‘they say it’ or quickly believe a group/culture to be in a certain way because of what they have heard of the stereotypes about the respective group. The truth is as the quote says, ‘Empty vessels make noise’. Or a more optimistic one, ‘Still waters run deep’.
When you take time to read and inform yourself, you stop jumping to abrupt conclusions. And once you develop this habit, you become watchful, reduce complaining and understand more. You can only fly when you are a butterfly and not if you stay a caterpillar!
In the end, if reading 30 minutes daily or 10 pages every day can make you look in future, make you wiser, help you excel in your field and help you ‘fly’; why wouldn’t you do it?
Make a resolve to read a book today! Where can you start? Literally from where you want to. Library membership isn’t expensive than your groceries for half the week (and free if you are a student!) or simply ask your friend who reads for a book! Feel free to use the comments section to suggest books or write your resolve!
True! Books does help us to know things more and get to know / feel the experiences, that others have already gone through. Stories, novels. newspapers, science, tech, business, etc. whatever, To Know or to have knowledge is always better. Beautiful article.
Thank you so much, I have started my reading habit from reading your articles.
I am sure this has motivated me enough to at least start a page of some book today, which will eventually increase day by day, like one step at a time.
One more thing, we used ask intellectual questions during childhood, that may be because of number of books we were forced to read in schools. Brining back that habit will eventually increase our memory power and make us more knowledgeable. Indeed most of us like caterpillars do not want to come out of our comfort zone either because of fear of failure, laziness or are not ready to take the risk of flying and exploring like a butterfly.
I would ask each and every reader of this article to start reading and also writing, for your own benefit of becoming wiser.
I wish you all the best for your future writings.