Letters to Myself: Entry Seventy
Prompt: Looking back, what's a small daily choice that ended up changing more than I expected it to?
“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”
A reflection on the power of reading. How making a small change today can change the outcome of your life; how in my life, I made this small change not so long ago and how it is already paving benefits for me as time moves forward.
As I have grown over the course of many years, there is one thing that I have done that has drastically helped me become a better person and a better individual because of it. That choice I decided to make was only a short few years ago where I wanted to start devoting more of my time to reading. Reading is one of the few things that truly gives me the most joy on this planet; I have been able to find that joy through it. And strangely enough, when I decided to make this choice not so long ago, it was clear to me that it was going to be an important change in my life. For a while, I was not reading consistently; I was simply not. I was either playing games; playing games with friends; attending friends places on the times where I wanted to read; helping execute chores for the people I care about; spending time with your loved ones; focusing on other things that are taking you away from one of the most profound things this earth has given us - the power of reading.
Reading gives us a chance to see the worlds that came before us; reading allows us to have conversations with the dead; reading provides us mental repetition for the daily skill that everyone is partaking in. We are constantly reading text messages; constantly reading emails or news articles; constantly reading people’s social media posts - we are always reading something. And when one actually develops the skill for reading, one will recognize that the distinct route they should take to get better is by reading books. Books themselves offer us a well orchestrated thought from an author or multiple authors. And what a magical thing it is to think that there are books out there, that contain over a 1000 pages of one story, written by one author! That’s a moment that should be celebrated; that is an achievement of human perseverance and creativity.
We as a population are fortunate to have access to some of the pieces of literature of human past that we should be rejoicing on how amazing it is. Currently, I have been reading John Stuart Mill’s piece ‘On Liberty’ where he talks at extensive length the philosophical ideas on opinions. He goes on to say: “He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.” And this quote can stretch to the degree of reading as well. We all might think we know a ton because we have access to all of the resources in the world and the internet itself; however, there is something truly horrific about that concept. We really don’t understand or know much. That is why learning and reading is so powerful; that is why you gain intense wisdom that helps guide you and allows you to live another day; to live another year; to live another decade. These are lessons that give us guidance and assurance to keep trying and understanding; to giving grace to all peoples wisdom and not rejecting the opinions or education they might have.
We are better off knowing this and Mill knew that as well; we should be wanting to learn more and get the most of out of a subject that we are learning about. Maybe it is an opinion on something you have never heard about? Maybe it’s an expression that you have never heard of before? Those are simple examples of how learning and engaging with reading can help transform your life. Knowing these things are not just trivial pieces. We are learning for the sake of humanity. We are learning for the sake of our families and the people we care about. We gain wisdom so we can teach others; so then we can help others find more peace and happiness on this planet. Because that is another thing with reading I have been understanding - history teaches us that humanity and the world are a rough place to be.
Ralph Marston’s quote reminds me of the reason why we made those changes so long ago. And as time goes on, that moment of change is aging like fine wine. The wisdom I have gained over the course of only a few years is immense. I am profoundly happy that I started that direction when my world fell apart. I was at a point where the only thing that gave me joy in the moments of despair for myself was reading. Reading gives you hope; reading gives you a chance to see that you are not alone; that people who came before us suffered tough and awful days as well and wrote about it. We have access to this and part of my writings I want to show that. We should be documenting the lives we are experiencing daily. Instead of footage and constantly having the camera on, read the words of someone who came from so long ago. Read the words of a loved one who has passed on; the feeling will give you chills but will remind you that you are human. It will remind you that this life is only lived one time and we have access to the ancient wisdom of so many amazing minds all around the world.
Reading should not be about how long something takes to read; that your impatience is more important than understanding the ways of the world. When one puts their ignorance above reading, that just shows the incompetence and ego one has to not have grace and maturity to handle the situations in front of you. Reading guides you to become a person of leadership; a person of goodness and holy nature. When you finally give in and become consumed by the chaos of social media; the chaos of technology; the chaos of online systems; the chaos of human nature that is happening currently - one loses the faith in humanity and the hope to continue onward. Reading reminds you to have hope; reading gives you a chance to see through these events and chaotic tendencies. Make the investment because then your opinion on life will change; your bias opinions will become a thing of the past; you will see the lightness in understanding perspective when you are able to give in. Reading teaches us patience; the thing that people should be having in this instant gratification society. Go against the grain; read to fight back against that addiction. It will surely change your life if you allow it to.
Main Thought: Read until your final days. Read to get better and to understand the things around you. Read to find love and hope again. Reading is the investment that will give you the guidance and meaning that you never thought you would find until you allowed it to.
This post is part of my "Letters to Myself" series — a weekly free-write blog where I explore personal growth, curiosity, and healing through simple prompts. Sometimes reflective, sometimes fun, but always real. Thank you for being here.
References:
Photo by Kyle Gare
Marston, Ralph. "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." (attributed)
Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. 1859.
