Many
people say they have no more time to read. Does this mean that we are
only dominated by time? Or why can't we find the time we need to read
?
Yet,
this is just a matter of willingness. Time should not fully control
our lives. We need also to be able to command our own time, our own
moments of sheer relaxation. This simple awareness leads us to
consider how modern life has impacted individuals.
Stress
has become a real daily concern. In fact, it has become a
contemporary illness, which pervades our Western societies. Medicine
only starts realizing its negative impact now. Perhaps, the answer to
cure this illness does not only rely on medical drugs. There are many
other simple ways to palliate. Asian wisdom will teach us to meditate
in order to take control of our minds and bodies first. This brings
back the idea of personal awareness to regain full control of
ourselves. We must not let us be drifted away in the boat we are in.
There are times to look back and decide to row against the current,
at least for a brief moment. It is a simple life-saving awareness.
Reading
- a way to relax and pause - can help because it breaks the spinning
effect of Time and brings our minds to an imaginary sphere. Reading
can be a sound cure against the side effects of stress and the ever
so rapid pace of modern life. And yet, how many physicians will
advise their clients simply to read to get away from stress so as to
relax?
Of
course, this is a matter of education, culture and strong personal
will.
And
now, what about children? Girls are said to read more than boys
because supposedly it is a sex orientation! Some research and news
articles have already talked about it. Is there a way to change this
common attitude? There are three groups of people, who may be able to
change or perhaps curve this trend: first the parents, and then
teachers and librarians. The source of knowledge and education lies
in books. Isn't Education a major goal to attain ?
Sometimes,
by just visiting a good bookshop or chatting with a passionate book
seller, you can discover a great book to read choosing to follow
their selected choices. Friends can also contribute. These are simple
ways to enhance reading.
However,
there is a long way to go to improve today's reading level. First of
all, there must be a general public awareness of the impact reading
can bring to individuals. Then, children should be strongly motivated
to read. This is the role of educators. Not that this is not done
already. But it is not done broadly and sufficiently. There should be
ways to promote books to make it fashionable and attractive for boys
and girls alike! There is a need to change the trend and make it a
priority. As for adults, it may sound too late already. But this is
also a matter of personality. As grown-ups, we are left free to
choose which way to go. And if this is the wrong direction, you can
turn back and follow another road, or at least take byways to keep on
going. Reading can provide an escape that TV and cinema only seem to
offer these days! And what do they provide? Mostly violence. Reading
has so many ways to capture your own interest. A good book will take
you to another dimension where you are totally immersed and at the
same time will provide an unconscious escape from the dreary reality
of life. And isn't it what adults need to slow down the pace of life
in order to get rid of stress at least for a while? Done on a regular
basis, it will be the best natural medicine. It could very well save
your life too. Stress has been acknowledged as one of the main
killers in our era.
It
is so obvious that deep standing knowledge is gained through reading.
So, why do we want to go back to the Dark Ages? The great library of
Alexandria was built to elevate Man's spirit. Science and Technology
or Politics and Sports dominate our lives. Ecology is fighting its
own battle to preserve the Earth. Medicine tries to expand
successfully life span. Reading should come back to our lives to
bring a sounder mental effect. We need a bit of everything to make
Men and switch to a New World. It is a wise dose of everything not
the way it is done right now. It rings a bell: this old Latin
aphorism - “Mens
sana in corpore sano”
('A sound mind in a sound body').
Christian
Sorand,
Bangkok,
August 2014
A
few selected quotes about reading:
“No
matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for
reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” —
Confucius
“Reading
brings us unknown friends.” — Honoré
de Balzac
“I
have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” —
Jorge
Luis Borges
“I
cannot live without books.” — Thomas
Jefferson
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