Why Read Books?

Reading books teaches me to explore the mind of others.

I particularly enjoy the words a person uses. The choice of words reflects what is in their current state of mind. A word can be similar but differs in many experiences. The description of a pain you felt on a familiar wound, creates the bond of similarity.

The "I know how it feels", and "ahh I was once there".

Reading requires patience. It trains me harder to be patient in listening to what others have to share about what they store in mind. Reading teaches me to wait and observe. Trying to understand a person's current situation before jumping to conclusions. And when a person has finally come to a closure, I get to analyze. Using all the information I have read and share with them the different angles of why a problem could arise. I have no rights to tell anyone how to lead their life, but I get to give them the information I know to let them choose what they want to do with their life.

Reading opens up my narrow mind, making me understand that there is no one answer to a problem. One difficult situation can be encountered by many ways. Channels that I never knew existed. Ideas and ideologies that I was skeptical about, could actually be beneficial.

With that, I have the vast choices, the freedom to choose, to how I want to solve the problem I face in my life. Read, because it makes me feel empowered with the knowledge and not caged by any man-made idea.

"Read with the Name of your Lord Who created [everything], He created man from a clot of blood. Read, and your Lord is the most gracious, who imparted knowledge by means of the Pen. He taught man what he did not know." - The first five verses of the Quran.