{"id":6091,"date":"2022-05-04T19:20:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=6091"},"modified":"2022-05-04T19:20:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:20:42","slug":"books-best-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/books-best-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"8 reasons why books are my best friends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Books are my best friends. It might seem strange to say that, but if you’re a literature lover, you’ll know what I mean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than going out, often you’re happier curling up with a good book, and even when you are socializing, you must force yourself to partake, countering the urge to retreat to a quiet corner and continue reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frequently, you find yourself drawn to second-hand bookshops like a moth to flame, browsing for hours in aisles of dusty books that are piled precariously to the ceiling in a jumbled maze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me, this predilection started early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was lucky – my mother was an avid reader, and she passed her love of books onto me at an early age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember being absolutely captivated by my first novels, suspended in time, absorbed by the storylines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This early interest blossomed into a passion, and soon I desperately awaited the arrival of new books, pleading with my parents for another installment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Partly, that was due to growing up in the country, and not having access to an immediate social group. Like any child without many playmates, I frequently became bored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, books were the perfect escape, transporting me to another world at the turn of a page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It all started with adventure novels and the brave exploits of protagonists’ venturing forth and discovering new lands, a symbolic feeling for a child limited in location and mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, I think this early reading was the impetus for my eventual international travel and the urge to explore far-flung destinations, going off-grid and chasing adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, being bookish is synonymous with introversion, and I feel that even if it’s not causational, there’s a correlation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Literature lovers, while able to socialize effectively, often feel drained by the encounter and require solitary time to recharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More often, they might prefer to socialize one-on-one, where attention is undivided and not overly dispersed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s also a certain observational quality in those who enjoy reading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of playing the extrovert at the center of attention, you may prefer being on the edge and looking in, analyzing social interactions and exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such social fatigue is real, and is one reason why many readers prefer spending time with their books to other people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, such tendencies need not be negative. Indeed there are many benefits to regarding books as your best friends. Let’s explore them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some people might find book friendship to be a slightly odd phenomenon, but there are incredible benefits to welcoming reading into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sensitivity of bibliophiles towards excessive social interaction seems to frequently lend itself to increased empathy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, perhaps literature is the perfect vehicle for developing such emotional intelligence, as readers sympathize with characters of varying backgrounds, dispositions, and motives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the best writing challenges you to adopt a more tolerant mindset, forcing you to understand even its most despicable characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such sensitivity can’t help but transfer into everyday interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading widely can help us get to know ourselves better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listen to your literary preferences and the types of books you enjoy consuming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be cognisant of the characters you resonate with, seeing how their actions might be mirrored in your own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, authors use literature as a vehicle to impart important life lessons, either inspired by reality or to magnify some of the best and worst traits of humanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exposing yourself to these themes helps develop your worldview, creating a personal creed, perspective and values to live by, which evolve over time as we age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good books<\/a> are incredibly inspiring. Depending on your chosen genre, you could either be motivated creatively to pursue arts projects of your own, or driven towards another form of personal development<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you’ll know that I’m keen on nonfiction and in particular, self-help books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favorite reads is a book by David Goggins<\/a>, an ex-Navy SEAL, pull-up world record holder, and ultramarathoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His message of resilience in the face of adversity is a potent reminder to overcome our personal obstacles and his message continues to motivate readers to strive toward personal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Books are a repository of human knowledge, distilling the most important lessons for the benefit of our society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Literature, in its long history, has been responsible for transmitting its teachings by expanding on the capacity of the individual brain to process knowledge by storing it in a portable, semi-timeless format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading allows us to travel to distant lands and learn about other cultures, all from the comfort of our living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this way, hard-won skills and knowledge from previous generations and other societies coalesce and compound, and we as a species, progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This benefit has only magnified in the digital age, where we now have any book we could ever want at our fingertips, downloadable in an instant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you live in a land of opportunity or a developing country, access to literature really is a shortcut to cognitive development and future potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Books impart knowledge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Books improve physical and mental health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n