Archivi dei tag: reading

The Power of Reading: Understanding the World Through Words

I received an email inviting me to buy books also containing a phrase that inspired this post: “Why reading teaches us to read”.

I think that this aphorism, if I can call it like that, embodies the profound value of reading in our lives. Reading is not just a pastime; it is a source of knowledge and a powerful tool for interpreting the world around us. Reading empowers us to decipher the world and recognize the stories unfolding beyond the pages of books — those stories that unfold around us daily.

The Power of Reading

Reading is much more than an activity involving words on a page. It is a process that teaches us to decipher the hidden meaning behind the words themselves. It teaches us to read between the lines and capture the details that would escape those who haven’t trained their gaze through reading. However, the power of reading goes far beyond the ability to interpret written words.

Reading gives us the power to read the world around us. It is a medium through which we can better understand the complex dynamics of society, politics, culture, and human nature itself. It allows us to explore different perspectives and connect with the experiences of people we might never encounter in our everyday lives.

In addition to revealing the world through reading, we also learn to recognize stories hidden beyond books. Every day, stories are unfolding around us, often going unnoticed. These stories can be disguised as facts, newspaper headlines, political speeches, or slogans, but also personal stories. Reading equips us with the tools to dig deeper, question what is presented to us, and seek the truth behind appearances.

Choosing What We Read

It’s important to emphasize that reading is not just a matter of quantity but also quality. We should carefully choose what we read. We should seek out engaging, dissenting, and liberating stories that challenge and inspire us. These stories become tools we can use to analyze and better understand the world.

Reading the world may seem like a daunting task, and indeed, it is. The world is a book with an ever-more intricate plot, a narrative that is constantly evolving. But just like a good book, the world offers a wealth of knowledge and adventures. Reading is the key to opening this book, immersing ourselves in its pages, and discovering the secrets and stories it contains.

In conclusion, reading is much more than a pastime; it is a means through which we gain the power to read the world and recognize the stories revealed around us. It is an act of discernment that helps us distinguish what is true from what is distorted or manipulated. Let us choose what we read carefully because every book we open brings us a little closer to understanding the complex novel that is the world.

What kind of books are you more interested in?

Why Reading Makes You a Better Person

I want to share a story with you on why reading makes you a better person.

“I’ve read a lot of books, but I’ve forgotten most of them. So what is the purpose of reading?”

This was the question that a pupil once asked his Master.

The Master at that moment did not answer.

After a few days, however, while he and the young pupil were sitting by a river, he said he was thirsty and asked the boy to get him water using an old bucket all dirty that was there on the ground.

The pupil flinched, as he knew it was a request without any logic.

However, he could not contradict his Master, and taking the bucket, he began to accomplish this absurd task. Every time he immersed the bucket in the river to pull up water to take to his Master, he could not take even one single step towards him that the bucket was empty.

He tried and tried again dozens of times, but no matter how hard he tried to run faster from the shore to his Master, the water kept passing through all the holes in the bucket and got lost along the way.

Exhausted, he sat down beside the Master and said:

“I can’t catch water with that bucket. Forgive me Master, it is impossible and I have failed in my task.”

“No,” replied the old man, smiling, “you didn’t fail. Look at the bucket now. Thanks to the water that filtered from the holes, it’s clean and looks new.”

“When you read books,” continued the old Master, “you are like that bucket, and the books are like the water of the river.”

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember all the books you read. The books with their ideas, emotions, feelings, and knowledge, that you will find among the pages, will cleanse your mind and your spirit, and make you a better and renewed person. That’s the purpose of reading.”

What about you? Do you think that reading would make you a better person, and that it will also improve the quality of your life?

Seven tips for Winter Time

With the arrival of the winter season, we change our clothes and also our habits would need to change. 

These tips are easy to follow and will help you to cope with the coming winter.

Our daily habits contribute to our happiness, well-being and health. That is why it is important to adapt to the season ahead, as it has an impact on our body and our spirit. 

Scientific studies have shown that seasonal fluctuations such as daylight, temperature and weather have a significant impact on us. Our mood, our metabolism, our balance and our biological clock change with the changing of the seasons.

Therefore, it is important to changes our habits so to restore the harmony between our body and the environment that surrounds us.

It is not as difficult as it seems. Here are some tips that you may want to follow for your health and well-being this winter.

  1. Walk more, drive less

There is nothing as good as an outdoors walk. Replacing journeys by car with a walk is ideal for taking your dose of fresh air, natural light and exercise. It also saves you from stress caused by the traffic. To benefit from the best of the walk, you could also listen to a guided walking meditation.

2. Take hot baths

Preparing a bath with hot water and jumping into it is the best way to relax during the cold weather. Create an ideal environment, putting bath oils in the water and some of your favourite music.

3. Adopt an evening routine

The winter season corresponds to a natural resting period. As the days get shorter and the exposure to natural light decreases, we feel less dynamic because our body produces less melatonin. To fight against the fatigue and the melancholy of winter, try to sleep eight hours a night and go to bed at about the same time each evening. Do not heat up your bedroom too much to avoid waking up sweaty in the middle of the night.

4. Eat properly

With the lowering of the temperatures comes the time to warm up with delicious and nutritious food. To prepare winter soup with relaxing effect, use warm and healthy ingredients, such as chickpeas, carrots and potatoes.

5. Take care of your skin (especially your hands)

Cold temperatures put a strain on your skin, so it is important to take care of it. To reduce dryness, use a good moisturizing and nourishing cream. In particular, the hands are more exposed to cold and need more attention and protection. To always have soft and well-groomed hands, keep a hand cream with you and use it when you need it.

6. Put your mobile aside

Due to a lower outdoors activity during winter, we are inclined to spend more time on social media. As you know, looking constantly to the mobile (or any other device) is not a good thing. Your mobile forces you to look within yourself and this may cause you a winter depression. Moreover, it disturbs your sleep. From time to time it would be better to put your mobile aside and read a good book.

7. Play games with friends

Sometimes when the evenings are particularly cold, you may want to call your friends to your place to play games. This activity is not only perfect to fight winter melancholy and apparent social isolation but it is also useful to improve your intellectual abilities. A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that playing social games keeps the brain young and active and would protect from senile dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

What about you? Do you have your own winter routine?