Why do we read books?

Some of us like to read. Because we are curious to know everything about anything – history, anthropology, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, etc. We are driven by the desire of understanding where we came from and where we are heading.

Some others are driven by the need to feel. They read fiction – romance, science fiction, horror, etc – to make them feel alive.

But you can’t feel alive or excel at intellectually understanding a field without having sensitivity to life. The want of sensitivity pushes us to read, to wrap our souls around the gentleness that authors bless some of their characters with. Once we gained sensitivity, we may feel one with life, a joyful connection that we sometimes see in someone else’s eyes.

Sensitivity is the light that shows us the way in the labyrinth of knowledge. Once we gained sensitivity, we may get interested in making an effort to grow the knowledge.

Knowledge does good to the mind. Kindness does good to the soul. We badly need them both. Continue reading. In addition, please practice lovingness.

 

The taste of impermanence

Everybody knows Notre-Dame, the cathedral at the foundation of the Parisian cultural heritage, the place where Victor Hugo imagined the plot of the novel The HunchBack of Notre-Dame.

Yesterday, the unexpected fire destroyed the loved monument. Shock and disbelief. The fire stirred the memories of millions of people who ever stepped inside and smelled the air of sanctity imbued in the old walls. It crushed the dreams of those who were about to visit.

Nothing lasts forever. We trust in transformation and hope in reconstruction. But where would Quasimodo live now?