The Perils of Reading

I have been deeply influenced in my life by the books I have read. This has affected me in ways both good and bad. I recently came across a couple of sentences in the book, Of Human Bondage, written by Somerset Maugham which diagnosed my situation so well that just these two sentences are worth repeating here in this blog.

Insensibly he formed the most delightful habit in the world, the habit of reading: he did not know that he was providing himself with a refuge for all the distress of life; he did not know either that he was creating for himself an unreal world which would make the real world of every day a source of bitter disappointment.

Bitter disappointment is I suppose common to all people whether they have the habit of reading or not.

So, if you ask me whether I will continue reading or not, I will reply, yes, I will. There is not much else for me to do with my time. And to quote from the book again:

The devil finds work for idle minds to do.

More on the advantages and disadvantages of reading are to be found in the classic, The Essays by Francis Bacon. Read the chapter On Studies. Link to the essay is below:

https://www.thoughtco.com/of-studies-by-francis-bacon-1688771

I’ll end here. Hope this helps someone. Please explore this blog for more articles on Politics, Spirituality and Self Help. If you liked this article then please share it on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to post your comments or contact me. Link to contact is below.

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