Thursday, April 20, 2017

Benefits of Reading



I always came across with a demotivating question which let me think about the worth of spending time on reading. Yes, the question is -- “What’s the benefit of reading?”
                 From my childhood my surroundings sets contradictory path for me (about this topic).

Specially:
-- Don’t read book, read the nature.
-- Go out and learn from the friends, not from the books.
-- Book is your best friend, it never betrays.
-- Bookish knowledge is not fit for the world
-- World is for knowledgeable person, you should gain knowledge from books.
-- Study hard and be smarter.
-- Smart people have hands on experience…



I think who all are reading this, gives similar confused look as I give it to them.

As you grow older, you have responsibility to teach or share what you learn from your action. So let me tell you what benefit I get from reading.

First of all, I have no specific choice for the book I read. I read train ticket too (And how that benefits!!!)...


Real life vs book
Ok, real life and bookish life is two different thing. But you need to realize that a bookish life is someone’s real life. A book to me is a writer’s observation marinated with imagination, cooked with realization, garnished with proposals and served in plate made of social bindings. So, nothing comes out of nothing.
                Pick any famous book (other than fantasy) and you will see the writer either observed the fact or explained by someone who was part of the fact. Even the fantasy books are outcome of the writer’s imagination towards a solution of a problem.
                So, what you are actually learning is “Someone’s real life”. Life is really short to learn from your own mistakes.



Consider tomorrow you will die
You never know, what you are going to face tomorrow. Our lifespan is inconspicuous dot in time’s eyes. We need to be prepared for all the battle, consciously and unconsciously. You are the weakest species in this world. You can’t even predict the risk. You either need “Experience” or “Knowledge” to foresee the problems. You cannot fail all the time as demand of expertise grows with your age. World is changing continuously. Tomorrow, when you die, some writer write in their journal about your case that you died because of alcohol. You didn’t know because your job is alcohol testing. You never see or heard about anyone who died because of this. But someone give up the job because of your death.
                Matter of fact; learn about what you are doing. You are reading about someone’s mistake and writing your mistakes for someone with the ink of your life.



Windows that need to open
We have length, breadth and height. I look different in every mirror in the mirror room. Same people behave differently in different situation. Same decibel is fatal for someone and fun for someone. Same facial expression for cry and laugh. Same winter is boon for someone and bane for some. Love is life and torture. Dream soothes you up and wake you up. Killing is good and bad. Happiness brings happiness to someone by killing someone’s happiness. Hope is ignition and a weapon of exploitation.  Thoughts creates and confuses.
                Every window has its own view of a same place. Only the projection is different. As a human without wing, you really have very less window. Books give me windows that need to open. While in library I see those windows beckoning me to see beyond that. Perspective and relativity brings rhythm in life. Not as the omnipotent I can’t be in two place at a time. But while reading a book actually I can. I can laugh in pain, dream in chaos, and sleep in run when fly with my books. These windows keeps the fresh air flow in my life continuously.



Right may be wrong
No religion is bad, only the explanations are. Everyone scared to write their opinion because once written it needs explanation, it always challenged by someone with innovation. Reading is not learning.
Reading is clarification of your learning. You learn every day from your location, time and action. But the support system is always written. Zeus is not angry, but the clouds are hugging each other. Stork do not bring babies. Parents will die before we do. Apple server can be hacked. Bulls are color blind they don’t see the red. Great Wall of China is not visible from space. You can touch a baby bird. We have 20 senses, not five. Veg Biryani is not possible. Flintstone’s Dino is 65 million year older than him. Jihad is not holy war it means struggle. Chickens egg is actually menstruation. Male chromosome defines gender not women. Cancer is a cell not a disease. Germans are brilliant and fooled by one man. Eclipse put spot on baby in the womb.  
                Books are the only source where you will come to know the truth. Yes there are books which confuse you and take you far from the truth. But counter-books always clear the confusion.

And finally



The Bliss of solitude


Boredom, loneliness and waiting in queue, three absolute part of anyone’s life. You may be a great orator, people magnet or extrovert person, but mostly you are alone. You may be a part of crowd but as they don't know you or your likes you start feeling lonely and bored standing in the queue of your life. And these are frustration designers. Frustration brings anger and anger is banger. I never get bored as those chained alphabets play with my emotion, I never feel lonely as characters always walk and talk to me and in queue rather enjoying people’s frustration I always move forward page by page.



These are my explanation of why I read books. I simultaneously read several books and my stack of my iPad full of books from different genre. From light weight funny novels, to heavy weight spiritual analysis of mythical characters. Other than Bengali, Hindi, English there are plenty of translated books are in my shelf. Due to the continuous bohemian life I cannot carry physical books. Thanks to the technology, though I love to touch the smell of new books, I can’t buy as I don’t like to throw books. Books are always my second best friend after people. As you completed reading my long explanation I think you will now stop asking me “What’s the benefit of reading?” Happy knowledge hunt.