Life is all a matter of perception (or MoP as my boyfriend calls it). Everything that you and I say, do, believe is determinant on the perspective that we have on life. Which is why if you are observant enough, you can be "psychic". When you 'know' someone, you can predict their behaviour; you can tell if so-and-so person will like such-and-such music or whether x and y will get along or hate each other, all kinds of stuff. (I spend my life trying to make myself as unpredictable as possible and I think I'm proud to say that I think I've succeeded to some extent at least).
But I digress (like Austin, except it's shorter). Back to MoP. Now, since everything in our life is so dependent on perspective, isn't it then important that we cultivate this, that we choose which perspective we will live our life by and have the opportunity to change that if given good reason to? I think yes. So it's really surprising that most of us spend such little time and thought on creating the right perspective for us. This is where reading comes in for me. It is obvious that I can't go through all the varied experiences that a human being could go through. So instead of going through them myself, I go through them vicariously, by reading.
Writing, any form of it, is basically a perspective laid down by somebody. This perspective may coincide with mine, it might be totally contradictory to mine, or it may be something completely new. If coinciding, it can help reinforce my own perception and even give me stronger reasons for believing that I am right. If contradictory, it allows me to see the good points of that perspective, maybe rebut some assumptions or conclusions, or simply decide that it doesn't suit me. And something completely new, well, there needn't be much said about that right? Broadening of horizons and all of that.
So the more I read, the greater my understanding of the world and its workings etc. It helps me sort out my beliefs and understand why I think the way I do.
But getting different perspectives on life is only one of the reasons for reading. In later posts, I will talk about other reasons for reading. Maybe.
But I digress (like Austin, except it's shorter). Back to MoP. Now, since everything in our life is so dependent on perspective, isn't it then important that we cultivate this, that we choose which perspective we will live our life by and have the opportunity to change that if given good reason to? I think yes. So it's really surprising that most of us spend such little time and thought on creating the right perspective for us. This is where reading comes in for me. It is obvious that I can't go through all the varied experiences that a human being could go through. So instead of going through them myself, I go through them vicariously, by reading.
Writing, any form of it, is basically a perspective laid down by somebody. This perspective may coincide with mine, it might be totally contradictory to mine, or it may be something completely new. If coinciding, it can help reinforce my own perception and even give me stronger reasons for believing that I am right. If contradictory, it allows me to see the good points of that perspective, maybe rebut some assumptions or conclusions, or simply decide that it doesn't suit me. And something completely new, well, there needn't be much said about that right? Broadening of horizons and all of that.
So the more I read, the greater my understanding of the world and its workings etc. It helps me sort out my beliefs and understand why I think the way I do.
But getting different perspectives on life is only one of the reasons for reading. In later posts, I will talk about other reasons for reading. Maybe.
