How Everything Else Just Blacks Out (Minahil Khan)
At some point in life, everyone enjoys doing one thing or another, be it singing, dancing, reading, knitting, playing some sport or writing. And, not long after, said things turn into a hobby. Fortunately for me, that point in my life came very early, and I fell absolutely and utterly in love with reading books.
People read for different reasons: for enjoyment or they are subjected to reading forcefully. I read books for the reason that I can transfer myself to another world entirely. A book can make me feel a lot of things. Sometimes, I feel as if the particular book knows all my weaknesses, as if it knows how to make me feel elated, how to get me vulnerable, how to have suspicion run through my veins, as though part of my blood. When I say that I cannot live without books, I mean it. I literally cannot. My hands feel bare when I don’t hold a book, my days seem meaningless and I feel myself deteriorating slowly.
It is really hard to stop myself, if I begin talking about books. You might be thinking ‘Wow. This girl really loves her books. I wonder what got her into this habit?’ And that, my friend, is a really good question. A question that I would love to elaborate with just two words: My School. Ever since pre-school, my school was always intent on developing reading as a hobby in kids. And luckily for me, I was one of the many to be greatly influence by this intention. Even as a child I would thirst for books, like a man without water for a week. I am so grateful to my school for introducing reading to me, for it has done me a great deal good.
I truly believe that reading has changed a lot about me in the long term; not only has it affected the way I speak or write, it has also affected my perspective about things, my way of empathizing with people, my way of putting different and innovative opinions. I think that with reading I have become much more open- minded, I try to get along with times. I give unbiased thought to new events; because after all a book is a perfect combination of different characters, ideas and, while reading, you need to get along with all of it, just like in life, whether you like it or not. I do not mean to say that people who do not read books are closeted or narrow-minded, but there is an obvious difference between the two people.
Reading books has also made me find it easier to empathize with people, whom, in another life, I would never have. Unfortunately, life is in an absolutely strict first-person perspective, your own perspective and because of that we sometimes fail to comprehend what the person we are shouting at, may be going through, however much we try to prove our scale of humanity. A book takes in everyone’s account and moulds it into one beautiful continuation. You’re able to understand anyone and everyone, which is why sometimes you feel compelled to with the villain. It’s not his fault he had a tough childhood! Anyways, I feel that because of my habit of reading, I am able to see past the curtain, that my egoistic self so rigidly holds on to, and really understand what the other person is going through. After all, everyone is fighting their own battle and I am in no position to intervene.
Usually, I read books that may have been recommended to me or maybe even a book I have not heard about. I have learned not to judge a book its cover, and with good reason too! Although I have to admit, books like: The Kite Runner, The Book Thief, A Thousand Splendid Suns always hold me at gun point, while tears streak down my cheeks and my brain is going haywire. Dan Brown seems to have encamped permanently in my heart with his mind-blowing books, along with the Harry Potter series. Currently, I am under the spell of Cassandra Clare, what with her awe-inspiring Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices and so many more supporting books. There are so many books I want to mention; sadly my hands are already tired. Though, for starters, you should totally read The Kite Runner.
In the end, I just want to mention that reading is one of the best habits you could get yourself into. Believe me, all those people who love reading books; they are not crazy. I repeat they are not crazy! Once you start reading, you will get roped in, just like me and everyone else.