Bibliophilia

Recently, it was "World Book Day" on the 23rd of April and I just wanted to share the benefits of having been a bibliophile (a lover of books) myself.

Books are nothing but magic. No, really, think of it. If some words written on sheets of paper can make you immerse in it and transport you to a whole new world regardless of the surrounding you are reading, how short is it of magic? Now what are the so called benefits of books you may ask?  Books are a friend you can turn to when you feel lonely. Books provide you with imagination so bright and big that your life will never see a dull moment. Charlaine Harris opines that books are the cheapest vacation that one can buy while Anna Quindlen quotes that "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home".

Reading is synonymous with immense knowledge and this is one of the oldest and most established benefits of it. Reading provides mental stimulation. While you read, your brain muscles are put to exercise. Researchers have discovered that by keeping the brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power thereby slowing the effects/preventing conditions like Alzheimer's and Dementia.

 Reading also increases one's memory power. As a book may contain various stories/ plots and subplots, our mind subconsciously develops different methods of remembering multiple information so as to not lose track. It is known to reduce stress levels of an individual. This can be due to two aspects. One is to do with the content and the other to do with the process. It may happen that you are stressed; you pick up a book and read about a person who came from a background more humble than yours and struggled much more than you did to achieve his goal and this might inspire you to develop a positive outlook on your own situation. The second way is where the entire reading process makes your mind shift focus from your own problems and relaxes you at least momentarily.

Some of the other obvious benefits from reading are vocabulary expansion, development of analytical skills and well-composed thoughts, ability to focus better. The brain has its own dictionary and as you read more and more, the dictionary starts becoming fatter. Of course the quality of your dictionary depends on the kind of books you read. I compared books to friends at the beginning, and hence the rule of being wise in choosing your friends applies here as well. The better your vocabulary, the more confidence you have in interacting with people and expressing yourself. If having brilliant thoughts in our minds was enough then there would not be so many training institutes making money by teaching just soft skills to its students. Interaction with people and the right way of expressing oneself is equally important which books provide free to us. The characters in a book are your use cases.

If you are someone who loves reading thrillers then you would have noticed how you have become a great analyser and problem solver even in your day to day affairs. You also notice that your thoughts are more composed and in an arranged manner while in your mind itself. This combined with good vocabulary also makes you a good orator or writer. In this internet and technology drove, social media crazy world, if you can leave aside your phone for few hours for a book then it is battle half won. This enhances the concentration power and enables you to utilize more of any situation.

Like everything in this world, reading also has its side effects. For starters, you are grammar Nazi to people around you, correcting them (on their face or mentally) when they make grammar mistakes. Even on phone, you choose to spend your time visiting educational/debate websites. You start hating TV when you know there are so many books awaiting you. Small talk does not interest you. You talk your mind out and don't hesitate in standing up for causes you believe in, what with so many leaders (whose stories have inspired you) sitting in your mind and encouraging you to be bold at each step. You start sniffing new books like dogs which might make you look weird. You value books too much and might prefer them over spending time gossiping, making you the odd one out. You learn to empathise, be proactive than reactive to situations or people provoking you, surpassing even your own expectations and disappointing those expecting a reaction out of you.

Books, be it of any genre, have only added more essence and value to our journey as human beings on this earth even giving us a peek into the lives of our ancestors and giving us a vague idea of how much more we might evolve with time. They have made our lives more meaningful and given us all an identity. Grateful, to everything that books have taught me and hoping more of us take the time to dive into the wonder world of words.