"...in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself..."
The Beauty and Practical Benefits of Readings
“Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality. There are mass emotions which heal the wound; but they destroy the privilege. In them our separate selves are pooled and we sink back into sub-individuality. But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like a night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.”
C.S. Lewis penned these words in his essay, “An Experiment in Criticism.” I love that he is able to chapter the beauty that lies in reading so eloquently.
Recently, on TikTok, some viral videos come across my feed are of people sharing their opinions about reading. When they first pop up, I think, this is gonna be fun! But then they spout off how they don’t understand why people would read for fun or how people find the time to read. All silly reasons to post a video about a harmless hobby that millions of people enjoy, but as they are completely serious, it also makes me sad.
Thus, I thought it important to bring about practical reasons for reading, right alongside with the reason Lewis shared about simply enjoying beautiful words strung together.
1. Brain health and keeping it strong
Not only does reading help with memory and critical thinking skills, according to Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, it can also slow the rate of decline and has been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. According to PBS’s Great American Read, those who read regularly are 2.5x less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
I love to binge a show here and there, but reading also burns more calories than watching TV.
2. Reading reduces stress.
Stress is an unfortunate part of life. Well, reading only a few minutes a day can reduce stress up to 68%. I’ll take all the tips for that!
3. Empathy.
With each passing month, day, and year, I keep seeing how much more empathy is needed. As it's another election year in America with, what’s looking like the same two candidates as the last election, I know it will continue to get nasty online (all the more reason I’m happy to be off personal FB and Twitter/X). So this is one thing the world needs so much more of. Developing empathy makes us better humans. It’s easy to make the “other side” into just the “others” and forget each other’s humanity. But reading stories other than your own can help with that.
4. We all need to laugh.
A well written book that has humor throughout is always an absolute favorite. When I have to stop reading for a few minutes because I’m laughing so hard, I’m positive I just added a day to my life. And between all the things in life, we really do need to stop and laugh more.
5. Book discussions are one of my favorite reasons.
I’m in three different book clubs and I love it. You need people in your life where you can text any of the following (with, of course, matching gifs) and there will be instant understanding:
I read the first chapter and I cannot go on.
Why did you all make me read this??
I just cried my eyes out.
Another reason I love book discussions? When people have disagreed on a book, those turned into some of my favorite discussions.
What are some of your favorite reasons to read?
© 2024 Jamie Lapeyrolerie