Why I Read

“But mainly, I read because I love words, wherever they are.”

To consider me as a reader is an overstatement.

I believe we are all readers. I mean, people read daily from newspapers to status updates while at the same time, saying that I have not conceived an overwhelming appetite for books is an understatement.

But what makes me open a book for more than 30 minutes to read as a leisure activity?

I have realised that I turn to read when I have not done the things I should be doing. I read because I have hit a roadblock with whatever idea I am pursuing, and in reading, I manage to find and discover ways around such a block. I read because the author at that current moment not only captivates me but helps me find an unorthodox answer to whatever roadblock facing me at that time. 

I have no interest to read for academic purposes (hence why I struggled in school). My interests are vast, from advertising books to economics. I wouldn't say I like books that take things out of context. I love books that floor me with simple mind-boggling language because they make me want to become a surgeon and look into the writer's mind. That question, HOW? is a feeling I love because one often forgets that the written word stabs deeply at certain times. What times? One never knows for sure, but that is why I read as often as I try.

Pursuing books considered classics or "heavy" in terms of language, and thought is something I think is a waste of time. I read, never to show intellectualism, but honestly, because I have nothing to do and since I am bored, I rather read something that will set me in motion. In that time of reading, I gain a good friend and because of the excellent company. By reading a little more or just enough, you end up gaining some level of self-awareness.

I read because there is no better confirmation that the world is full of intelligent people like a good book. I read because I want to be a better communicator. After all, reading makes me a better listener. When you read something good, it is as if your brain is at a party it does not want to leave. I will never know enough, I do not know much right now, but reading makes me learn so much about the world. There is nothing new under the sun, but for every problem one might incur, you better believe that there is a book.