When an introvert person sits and talks to me for a long time, I feel very blessed because unlike extroverts, they don't just talk to people to spend time. You have to be really special to them for that. In the same way, when I spend time alone, I cherish that a lot. It is very unnatural of me to spend time alone, so I tend to be very careful about it. By "alone time" I don't mean the times I was lonely. I mean the time I carve out of my regular day to spend just with a book or paint or just lie down on the hammock and think. If you know me, you'd think that the word "silence" doesn't go with me and that is the reason I cherish it. That silence comes when I am in the company of books or painting. Then I can think and imagine and sink deeper into myself.
In that world of imagination, I am not alone. There are friends who keep me company and they are books. If a person can read, he will never be alone. And, if you are blessed with an inquisitive mind, the better for you. Yesterday I got off work a little early, so I thought I'd just walk to the library and look for books on painting. The ones I saw were little too in depth for me, so I went to the biography section and came home with the combined biography of The Curies. They are all fascinating. Physics is no less interesting than oil painting!
Why do I love books?
Firstly, they teach. They tell you about wonderful things all over the World and beyond. They can take you on time travels from pre-history to future in a matter of seconds. You can switch from Victorian London to Buddhist era India within moments. It just opens up all my senses at the same time as appealing to my intellect.
They broaden your mind. I think I like biographies more than fiction. Of the people I read about, I find that they have different experiences in life. Many of them are fascinating, many of them are sad, but at the end it tells me that most things happen in life without me having any control over them. So it helps me accept and broaden my ideas. I also learn not to judge anyone. Should it be right to judge Michael Madhusudan Dutt as an alcoholic? Or would it do justice to Paul Gauguin if I disapprove of his strange lifestyle? People are meant to be different and we need to accept that. Everyone is battling something in their own lives. That becomes more apparent when you read that, because unlike in the real world, characters in books are very clearly understandable (except Rachel in Daphne du Maurier's "My Cousin Rachel". I haven't figured out what kind of a person she was.)
They are my constant companions. Or some characters are my constant companions. I refer to them like referring about my human friends. Jerome, George, Harris and Montmorency, Feluda, Tenida, Pyalaram, Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh, Hijibijbij come up in my day to day conversations quite regularly.
They teach me to think. Instead of telling what you should do, they point you to where to look at and find the answers yourself. One such book is Carl Sagan's "Contact" that has never failed to amaze me. It resonates with my way of thinking like no other book has ever done. One that pulled me out of my traditional thought process and opened up a number of crazy possibilities is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My jaw dropped multiple times and I had to shake myself quite literally.
Detective stories sharpen my brain, they appeal to my analytical side. Romantic historical novels, on the other hand let me unwind and relax. I can visualize and feel the cool sea breeze coming from tropical lands that smell of sandalwood. Then there have been times I was completely creeped out. Like, I waited for my room mate to come back before I could continue to read "The Chariots of the Gods". But these are experiences you cherish from the inside of your head.
They don't judge you, they don't feel sad if you don't read them for a while (though I think if you don't return library books on time, those books feel gravely insulted), they don't talk back. They are just there when you need them. Whether you feel happy, sad, inquisitive, creepy... you will never be far away from books to keep you company.
In that world of imagination, I am not alone. There are friends who keep me company and they are books. If a person can read, he will never be alone. And, if you are blessed with an inquisitive mind, the better for you. Yesterday I got off work a little early, so I thought I'd just walk to the library and look for books on painting. The ones I saw were little too in depth for me, so I went to the biography section and came home with the combined biography of The Curies. They are all fascinating. Physics is no less interesting than oil painting!
Why do I love books?
Firstly, they teach. They tell you about wonderful things all over the World and beyond. They can take you on time travels from pre-history to future in a matter of seconds. You can switch from Victorian London to Buddhist era India within moments. It just opens up all my senses at the same time as appealing to my intellect.
They broaden your mind. I think I like biographies more than fiction. Of the people I read about, I find that they have different experiences in life. Many of them are fascinating, many of them are sad, but at the end it tells me that most things happen in life without me having any control over them. So it helps me accept and broaden my ideas. I also learn not to judge anyone. Should it be right to judge Michael Madhusudan Dutt as an alcoholic? Or would it do justice to Paul Gauguin if I disapprove of his strange lifestyle? People are meant to be different and we need to accept that. Everyone is battling something in their own lives. That becomes more apparent when you read that, because unlike in the real world, characters in books are very clearly understandable (except Rachel in Daphne du Maurier's "My Cousin Rachel". I haven't figured out what kind of a person she was.)
They are my constant companions. Or some characters are my constant companions. I refer to them like referring about my human friends. Jerome, George, Harris and Montmorency, Feluda, Tenida, Pyalaram, Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh, Hijibijbij come up in my day to day conversations quite regularly.
They teach me to think. Instead of telling what you should do, they point you to where to look at and find the answers yourself. One such book is Carl Sagan's "Contact" that has never failed to amaze me. It resonates with my way of thinking like no other book has ever done. One that pulled me out of my traditional thought process and opened up a number of crazy possibilities is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My jaw dropped multiple times and I had to shake myself quite literally.
Detective stories sharpen my brain, they appeal to my analytical side. Romantic historical novels, on the other hand let me unwind and relax. I can visualize and feel the cool sea breeze coming from tropical lands that smell of sandalwood. Then there have been times I was completely creeped out. Like, I waited for my room mate to come back before I could continue to read "The Chariots of the Gods". But these are experiences you cherish from the inside of your head.
They don't judge you, they don't feel sad if you don't read them for a while (though I think if you don't return library books on time, those books feel gravely insulted), they don't talk back. They are just there when you need them. Whether you feel happy, sad, inquisitive, creepy... you will never be far away from books to keep you company.
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