Dr Saheb Sahu
The pleasantest of all diversion, is to sit still alone under the lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people of a distant past you have never known. – Kenko (1283-1350), Japanese Buddhist Monk and Essayist
Books offer consolation, nourishment and care. – Machiavelli
If the aim of a reasonable person is to live a life of meaning and purpose, serious books can provide the concentrate of the examined life. – Professor Jack Cella
I have friends whose society is delightful to me; they are persons of all countries and of all ages; distinguished in war, in council, and in letters; easy to live with, always at my command. They come at my call, and return when I desire them: they are never out of humor, and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secret of Nature: these teach me how to live, and how to die: these dispel my melancholy by their mirth, and amuse me by their sallies of wit: and some there are those who prepare my soul to suffer everything, to desire nothing, and become thoroughly acquainted with itself. In a word, they open the door to all the arts and sciences. – Petrarch, (1304-1374CE), Italian scholar and poet
Top Ten Benefits of Reading
Besides giving us pleasure, reading of books has multiple other benefits. Some of them are:
- Reading improves our brain connectivity and makes us smarter.
- Reading improves concentration and the ability to focus.
- Reading improves literacy.
- Reading increases general knowledge.
- Reading reduces stress.
- Reading improves sleep.
- Reading increases empathy.
- Reading slows down the development of age-related memory loss (dementia).
- Reading lengthens lifespan.
- Reading aloud to children has lasting impact on their future interest in reading.
Free Online Libraries
Project Gutenberg- https://www.gutenberg.org/
Google Books – https://books.google.co.in/
The online Book Page – https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/
International Children Digital Libray – http://www.childrenslibrary.org/
Digital Library of India – https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/
Conclusion
Reading books gives us both pleasure and profit. Books transport us to a different world and make us forget, at least temporarily, the daily concerns of the world. Reading of fiction and novel has its own distinct joy. Travel books take us to a different world those are much different than that of ours. Reading such books instill on us a sense of adventure. Many of us enjoy reading books on religion and philosophy. They teach us lessons on morals and ethics: how to live a good life and how to accept death. Reading has multiple benefits for our health: reduces stress, improves sleep, delays age-related memory loss (dementia) and even prolongs life. Reading aloud to children helps in developing in them a life-long reading habit. Visit your local library and book stores (new and old book stores) and take your children with you when you can. Get them a library card. Browse inside the library and the book store. Browsing has its own pleasure of discovering something unexpected. But Read. Reading will provide you with information, knowledge and hopefully some wisdom. Happy Reading!
Source:
- Jeff Deutsch, In Praise of Good Bookstores. Princeton University Press, Princeton: 2022
Wikipedia.org
