So today I’d like to do something slightly different. I’d like to bring up a question. This post will probably fall into a new category, thoughts.
The question that I have in mind is very basic.
Why do we read?
We ask ourselves this very question on a daily basis, whenever we go to the library, browse for a new read on a kindle, or skim a recipe. Whenever we are browsing the web, we consider it subconsciously. It’s there in the back of our minds every day. So what determines what we read? Interests you say? Perhaps, that’s very true, but on a deeper lever there is something more. We read because of a hunger for emotions.
Why are we searching for emotions? Well, emotions tend to bring life, vividness, taste if you will into our lives. Without them things would be pretty bland. They’re the seasonings that spice up our lives, even if we don’t like it sometimes.
That’s where a book or a movie comes in. In essence, they’re emotions in a capsule.
Where do we go to have some emotions? Countless places: libraries, movie theaters etc.
We go to the library, stand in line, and get a book on a platter. Well, maybe not, but a library is a cafeteria for the soul, so let’s all order a book on a platter.
Thanks for reading,
Patrick Rain
Image © Patrick Rain
For me there almost as many reasons as there are books 🙂 I read to learn, to experience emotions that I don’t necessarily want to experience in reality, to see the world from a different perspective, to analyse someone else’s point of view, to understand the other people (or other cultures), to have dreams…Finally, it’s also a form of escapism: the easiest one I know 🙂
I agree. =) Thanks for the input. There really is nothing more entertaining than reading books. It’s definitely the first thing I think about when I want to take a break from reality. Welcome new visitor!