If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books
— Roald Dahl
This week I mounted my moral high horse for something that isn't religion or politics, science or art neither philosophy or spirituality but something that is the connective tissue that links all of these disciplines.
Books and reading.
You guys know I'm a vocal advocate of reading especially for young people. Hey, that's why deciding on writing Joshua N'Gon Last Prince of Alkebulahn was a no brainier. I realised some time ago that after writing my Young Adult novel, I would have the perfect vehicle to help promote reading amongst young people.
Why do I value reading so much and why does anyone read? With music, films, documentaries around us, can't we get what we need from these sources instead? Is it still necessary?
I won't even go into the value to your biology that reading provides. Let's just say your brain will thank you for the workout it receives from choosing a book over a film.
But what can it do for you as an individual?
What is the simplest way to experience the world we live in without traveling?
How can I learn from the great teachers and grand masters who have come before me? The ones who have acquired knowledge and experience through trial
and error and hard lessons. Lessons that would take a lifetime for you and I to obtain.
The world is so connected, and there are so many opinions and points of view, that go into informing your perspective of the world. How can you come to conclusions without exploring points of view shared by other thinkers?
How can you
inhabit the mind of a character and share the exhilaration of adventure, the pain of heartbreak, the shock of debilitating fear and the awe of discovery without leaving your living room?
Books of course.
