Now I am writing a Self Help article and telling you not to read Self Help books. There is a contradiction right there.
But bear with me and I will make my point.
What I would like to say is that all youngsters would be better advised to read novels – preferably but not necessarily the classics of literature.
When I was young, I used to read Dick Francis novels repeatedly. I also had a self improvement mania and bought and read tonnes of Self Help books. And I can tell you that the Self Help books did me much more harm than good. It was my reading of novels – Dick Francis, James Clavell and James Mitchener – that turned out to be my salvation in the end.
Self Help books might tell you what to do. But just reading of these books will not change you as a person. Reading novels repeatedly does. And most Self Help books are written by American authors and their advice is not tailored to the Indian social environment. You might get into trouble if you follow the advice given there. I did.
Of course the prevailing ethos in India (especially in the Metros) has changed since the time when I was a teenager. So you might not have to go through everything that I went through.
And if you absolutely have to read Self help books then read the classics – the books that were written 50 or a 100 years ago. These books have a track record of actually helping people and that is why they are still in print right now.
But here are the reasons why reading novels is better. I am speaking from experience. I have experienced these benefits myself.
First reason is that novels are entertaining and reading them is a much more enjoyable use of your time.
The Second reason is that you will learn a sound moral code or ethics to live by if you choose your novels wisely and read them over and over. I read in an article once that if you want to be a successful novelist then the first requirement is that the novelist has to like people. If the author of the novel does not like his (or her) fellow humans then the readers will not like his books.
So by reading you will spend time in the company of a person (the novelist) who is good natured. You will imbibe the same qualities yourself (of being good natured and liking your fellow humans).
The third reason is that novels not only tell you what to do but also how to do it. You will spend time in the company of people (the characters in the novel) who are adventurous and courageous. By reading these novels repeatedly you will imbibe these qualities. The novels will give first hand demonstrations of how to surmount difficulties. Your character and personality will change over time. This is something that Self Help books can never do for you.
I have been stressing that you need to read the novels you like repeatedly. This is easier said than done in the modern times where there are so many distractions. There is 24 hours TV, OTT streaming services, social media and the internet. Youngsters cannot live without smartphones and it acts as a distraction. Also there are so many electronic books that you can buy cheaply and people have money to spend. Instead of reading one book repeatedly youngsters are more likely to buy a GB of Kindle ebooks and then not read them.
When I was young I had little money to spend on books and there was no internet or 24 hours TV. To entertain myself I had to read the few books that I had repeatedly. And that helped in changing me as a person.
So these are some of the reasons for preferring novels over self help books. Of course the main reason for reading self help books is that you want to make money (either as a businessperson or an salaried employee). For them I have one last piece of advice – read autobiographies or biographies of successful people. You will find in them the role models that are also available in novels.
I’ll end here. Please explore this site for more articles on Self Help, Spirituality and Politics. If you would like to contact me the link is below.
Find this handy. Buy me a coffee