I was just thinking about logging out when I saw this question and felt a compulsion that I had to answer it, what have I read…
I’m ashamed to admit it, I haven’t read a single comic strip in my entire life until I was 13, forget the books.
My life before the advent of reading:
Alone
Absolutely alone. You have no idea how lonely I used to be. I tried very hard not to be scared. Both my parents, being career-oriented, don’t help me much. I don’t know what I was afraid of- past, present, future, my parents, my relatives, friends (I have no one except two)..everything scared me. I talked to myself, talked to sparrows, talked to crows – nothing helped, cursing him for not answering in my own language.
Vulnerable
I was probably the most insecure kid I’ve ever had. So insecure that when my sister was born, I really thought my parents were going to reject me because they had found a better daughter. The little way my parents corrected me, I jumped to conclusions. , that they hated me. I was always expecting/waiting for him to scold me. It used to drain my energy. I was tired of doubting my parents. I admit to myself that I too deserved to be loved.
Proprietary
This was one of the reasons I was friendless, I couldn’t accept the fact that my friends could have a world beyond me. I wanted his world to begin and end with mine. My insecurities will creep in as soon as I see them talking with another classmate, I don’t even try to suppress them, I will walk straight up to them and fight.. and as a result, I will lose a friend and my other Classmate achieved one. I can’t take the opinion of others.
Bitch
astonished !! What we used to do with some friends was bitch… a lot of free time, and nothing to think about or topics to speak, so all we did was bitch all about (I used to be as kids) Am surprised which topic I managed to bitch).
Super stupid and shy
That’s how I look at my past..I don’t know anything, except the stuff in the textbook. For me there was practically no world beyond Chennai.
My cousins from other cities were aliens to me. If someone asked my name, I would run and hide behind my mother’s sari, hoping that my parents would all answer, this behavior bothered my parents, as they had to follow random xyz- Started getting nutrition tips, how to raise a child. Yes, I can read what’s going on in your mind, I was a little monster that kids kept away from.
When I was in 9th my teacher changed my position because I was ‘just such a restless and busy body, bothering my table partner’. I don’t know, that day was a turning point in my life.
My teacher put me through random shuffling with a new group of students who for 10 years I didn’t even acknowledge their existence in my school… all they did was read, I was to come into their world. I was curious, because they weren’t interested in me, and I wanted to show them that I was intelligent,
so I started reading books like Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, and guess what, I’d read The Books of Life and my other four best What friends to make friends for (we these four random strangers are a huge part of my life today, not a day goes by without talking to each other..my best friends)
Peaceful
more than at peace with me. Reading is a religion for me. There are days when I don’t go to prayer or temple, but reading, my day starts with reading, I try to read throughout the day, and when I come back home, I sit with a book. One big change is that I don’t think about unnecessary things, like what others will think of me. quieter. I think I have made peace with myself. I will teach you to be rich by ramit sethi pdf
I will say that I am completely out of my insecurities, but I learned to deal with and ignore them. The moment I feel insecure, I will run to the library near my home, borrow books and start reading, until my eyes hurt.
Learned that a world exists outside of me
Great revelation, that there is a world beyond me. Learned the diversity of the world. It is learned that homo sapiens are not good or bad, but brown. Learned to be alone. Learned to control my emotions. Learned that I can and will make mistakes in my life, also realized that these silly mistakes will only move my life forward.
Don’t judge others when they make mistakes, because I make them worse when I face a similar situation. Learned to respect, because everyone has a story behind them, sometimes the plot turns out to be worse than your life. Learned that I will not be able to learn everything in this lifetime.Sadhguru books pdf free
Connect with character
After I start reading, I connect with the character better. At least I understand they are having a tough time. A girl used to deliver milk to my house, she was two years older than me, and I used to call her by her name, my parents tried to correct me for respecting her, but I don’t bother as usual right …
but after reading from random short story, I don’t even remember that suddenly I started calling her ‘selvi akka’.. and I didn’t even realize that, until one day selvi akka called me And said “You have changed, I don’t know what you have changed, but don’t change back to your old self” – I got the first real appreciation in my life, without working hard.. felt happy, just happy 🙂
Knowledge
If I was living my life without reading books, I would have even bothered to join Quora. I don’t know whose life I would be wasting right now.. I am scared that I am really bad at so many things and I have no idea about so many subjects and so many topics go unheard by me . Forget improving knowledge, at least I have the awareness that I suck.. it’s good.. better than ever!!. I also realized that marks are just for your admission or help you in completing your respective years, no one bothers further than that if you are a topper, get a life beyond that.
Family bond
Personally, reading has helped me a lot in understanding my parents and overcoming my teenage conflict with them. Now I can’t imagine life without my sister, she is my best friend, and my reading partner. We are like two brats under one roof, we chat, argue, fight, laugh and start being friends again.
I don’t know if I grew up because of my fears and insecurities or my thought process matured…but reading definitely helped me become a better person. Even today I don’t have a lot of friends but the friends I have made are there for me, we keep in touch almost everyday, make each other laugh and tease, tease, and tease ourselves on any tough day. do random bullshit… most importantly i’m friends with myself, CUET Eligibility Criteria 2022
I made some horrible mistakes, face failure, rejection, harsh comments, annoying comments.. trying to avoid them, but my I am not blaming myself or others for the situation. Life changed for the better for me after reading, my nature has become a little more rational, realistic, more humorous, joyful and sometimes reserved.
I know that even if the whole world hates me or judges me, there will be a best friend ‘my books’ always waiting to take me to another world – and I absolutely love it. I’m sure there are people who have done better at dealing with life without reading, but I haven’t, without books I was just lost in a dense forest, still wandering through my illusions and I don’t think I can. If I could have lived, I would have only existed.
There are many people who say that reading is not for them or that they find reading books a very boring activity. This is because of:
Incorrect selection of books: If one is not a reader and/or is not able to read ‘heavy’ literature, there are many easy-to-read books out there.
It may sound silly to read what is essentially a beginner’s book, but eventually the practice of reading will grow on the individual, and slowly but surely they can start reading ‘heavy’ literature.
Predetermined mindset: The basic idea is simple, if there’s something we don’t want to do, we make excuses. That’s what many people do when it comes to reading (or even learning for that matter).
The best way to avoid this is to reach for the book without thinking too much about the act that will make someone feel like they are facing Goliath. They need to force themselves to continue reading, page by page, and eventually the entire book will be read.
As a start, set a goal, eg. I try to read one book a week. Choose your style, and as long as you’re just starting out for this great exercise (of reading), stick to that particular style; After reading a few books, switch to another genre that interests you. Keep it up and someday you’ll end up with all the books in a tiny library.
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