I had in my previous blog written about the perils of reading serious books in India. That blog was about external factors. This present blog is about the changes internally that I experienced in my life through reading good books.
- The first and most obvious advantage is that books kept me entertained. They were good company – better than empty headed youngsters my own age.
- Next I thought philosophical thoughts. There is a saying in the Dhammapada: We are what we think. My reading philosophy and other books not only filled my mind with thinking good thoughts but also changed me as a person. My character and nature changed for the better.
- Next I gained in knowledge of the world and of human nature. A sound knowledge of human nature is invaluable in dealing with people. Any person in a leadership role or a managerial position will benefit from learning about human nature. I will mention in particular the Panchatantra, The Arabian Nights, Aesop’s Fables and Bullfinch Mythology. Also Shakespeare. The books portray human nature as it is and not as it is shown in syrupy, feel good novels and movies.
- I also got good role models in my reading of novels by authors like Dick Francis, James Michener, James Clavell and others. The way I behave and think is partly guided their example in the novels I read. This is a bit of a double edged sword because these books celebrated individuality and in India you are expected to show respect, obey and conform. So my taking these books seriously got me into trouble as well. But overall I was better off for the choices I made. I was able to deal with many crisis situations and came through gritty adventures because of the novels that I read repeatedly.
- Next I learnt sound ethics through my reading.
- I also learnt how to think. The detective stories I read (Dick Francis, Sherlock Holmes and the like) demonstrated how to think in practical situations. By reading these books repeatedly I imbibed the same qualities that the protagonists in these books had. I was able to think like Sherlock Holmes.
- And this last point is probably the most important. I read because I enjoyed it. I read because there was nothing else I would rather have done. By spending my time in this way I freed myself of the clutches of the ego for at least that length of time. The Bhagavad Gita tells us to act according to your Dharma (or nature) without caring for results. Unknowingly I probably acted in a way (when I was reading) that the Bhagavad Gita would have approved of.
I sometimes think that this is the main reason that I benefited from my reading as much as I did. If I had done my reading thinking of it as a self help project then I would not have learnt as much as I did.
So to summarize my advice – read for enjoyment, read good books repeatedly and imbibe the spirit of the books by such reading. You will change as a person, think pure thoughts and benefit immeasurably in practical life.
We are often advised to keep good company. What better company could we keep than the classics of literature, philosophy, spirituality and the like.
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