Day Five

This is actually a response to a discussion question in the curriculum course I'm currently taking. However, I felt it was worthy of being shared, and since I have the flu, I'm cutting myself some slack. ;)

When I think of reading, a simple one-word definition comes to mind: Freedom. Reading allows us freedom to pursue dreams. It gives us the chance to escape our world and go into someone else's, either fictional or real. Through books and stories, we learn more about who we are and what we value. Essays and magazine articles can help us determine what we believe in, and who we want to become as we grow.

For me, reading was an escape from a miserable childhood. I took books out of the library in mass quantities. I disappeared into a story and forgot about my troubles, or realized there were people with worse ones. I learned to be strong through the words of others. I discovered my own passion for narration, and frequently went through my day narrating events in my head, as though I was writing a novel of my own.

Without the ability to read, our lives are so limited. We are trapped in whatever situation we've been born into, with little hope for escape. I say this not only because without the ability to read, career paths are very limited, but also because imagination is limited when you cannot read.

When someone tells me they don't enjoy reading, I am utterly baffled. I simply can't imagine that notion. I usually figure they've just been reading the wrong stuff!