Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash
Kids grew up reading Dr Seuss, Geronimo Stilton, and amazing classics like Enid Blyton and her “Famous Five” series. Our imaginations stem from those books we loved as children. And from those children’s books, our interests grew into stories with larger and more complex plots, reflecting the timid life we live compared to those stories of grandeur and fantasy.
As we grow, we learn from books that are based on fiction and non-fiction and perhaps as individuals, we eventually learn to lean into the side we prefer. From all of that, the most important thing we obtain from it is the habit of indulging in a good book at the end of a long day or week. In the current era, with technology and a rapidly changing environment, reading perhaps could be the one thing that connects us to the ground beneath our feet. To feel the printed paper beneath our fingers and turning the page endlessly while smelling that unique scent of cracking open a new book.
As it happens, most of us slowly lose that feeling to the rush of life and chasing dreams, just as we were taught to do from the very books we grew up reading. As adulthood approaches, books allow us to prepare ourselves for the grand journey ahead. As an infamous Roald Dahl character once said,
“Grown-ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets.”
— Danny, The Champion of the World
Truth be told, reading is still a crucial habit we should keep throughout our lives. Books give an insight into what the human brain can genuinely offer through the very pages we skim through each day. Our imaginations still have the capacity to grow at lengths one can only imagine, stimulating our minds and putting us in complex situations that allow us to decipher what happens next. With films and TV, our imaginations are limited to what has already been presented to us. Whereas in a book, a character is our own, and we can have our own picture of what they might look like. Imagination is a skill that will help us through the adventures of life.
Although we spend most of the first quarter of our lives learning, equipping ourselves for the future in school, it does not mean we should stop learning once we finish school. Books and habitual reading later in life will definitely help you to expand your knowledge of life and all its facets. The knowledge we absorb will eventually become the skills we use in life. With that being said, reading can give you skills you never knew you needed.
As a wise wizard once said, “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”
— Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
But what about the people who have never picked up on that habit? Worry not! It is never, ever too late to delve into the vast world of stories. We all start somewhere, and it’s more important to start than to have never tried. A book is a place where anyone is welcomed, and no one is judged. The act of reading is a personal and intimate relationship between you and the words written on the page. As slow or as fast as you please, you are allowed to dictate how long the story goes on.
Finally, I hope after this short read, you will be inspired to pick up a book and read it one page at a time. Just as you go through life, one day at a time.
By Nur Elmyra