There are some people whose reading experience does not extend beyond the back of the breakfast cereal box, or the most recent issue of some popular magazine filled with more pictures than words. But for a citizen of the world, reading can be a sacred activity. The same tools that are developed when we read a great book can complement our study of the meaning of life.
Many of us have seen the bumper sticker that affirms: "If You can Read This: Thank A Teacher." I've often thought we should have a bumper sticker that states: "If the Western World Can Read At All: Thank a Medieval Monk!" It was during the "Dark Ages" that countless monks copied by hand both scripture and other ancient writings, hoping to keep their important insights alive for future generations. They believed that they owed it to God and their fellow men to preserve the best of human culture. It was thus a small band of people with deep religious convictions and solid religious institutions who preserved literacy for the rest of us during a time of extraordinarily widespread social and cultural decline. It is them that we have to thank for our opportunity now to read some of the best books ever written.
The lesson for us today is that, as we stand at the dawn of a new age, with increasing illiteracy and aliteracy (the phenomenon of people who can read but don't), we need to be a people familiar with great books. You don't have to be a monk, but you can participate in your own way in both preserving and passing on the best that has ever been thought and said. You can also benefit from it immensely. Reading great books is like looking through the highly reflective yet transparent glass of a two-way mirror. We can gaze through into a different world, or a different view of things, and we can also see something of ourselves, as we shift our vision from within the book to within our soul.
I am convinced by my own experience, and the countless testimonies of multitudes, that reading the greatest of books can serve in a powerful way to provide us with lofty things to think and talk about with each other. No doubt, the reason some impoverished souls run around busying themselves with the superficial and trivial side of life is because they are not feeding their minds with anything greater. Their lives are so thin that, instead of reflecting inwardly, they direct their attention entirely outwardly, and gawk at anything that seems to glitter.
I am equally confident that good people, reading good books in the right spirit can contribute to a more general living of the good life, and can assist us in making our contribution to the good society. Books can deepen us and they can broaden us. They can give us clues into the darkest recesses, and highest potential, of human behavior. And they can suggest new ways of living and working together that can improve the quality of our daily experience right away.
After even a few minutes of reflecting on the importance of books in our lives, and then writing a short essay in praise of reading like this, I just want to go, grab a book off the shelf, sit in my recliner, turn on the reading lamp, and depart for a while. After a bit of reflection in your own heart, you may want to go pay a visit to your local bookstore, thank the owner for what they make available, or find that old library card and go use it. You also might be moved to feel a bit of gratitude that you have both the power and opportunity to read words that can bring pleasure and also expand the human soul.
Many of us have seen the bumper sticker that affirms: "If You can Read This: Thank A Teacher." I've often thought we should have a bumper sticker that states: "If the Western World Can Read At All: Thank a Medieval Monk!" It was during the "Dark Ages" that countless monks copied by hand both scripture and other ancient writings, hoping to keep their important insights alive for future generations. They believed that they owed it to God and their fellow men to preserve the best of human culture. It was thus a small band of people with deep religious convictions and solid religious institutions who preserved literacy for the rest of us during a time of extraordinarily widespread social and cultural decline. It is them that we have to thank for our opportunity now to read some of the best books ever written.
The lesson for us today is that, as we stand at the dawn of a new age, with increasing illiteracy and aliteracy (the phenomenon of people who can read but don't), we need to be a people familiar with great books. You don't have to be a monk, but you can participate in your own way in both preserving and passing on the best that has ever been thought and said. You can also benefit from it immensely. Reading great books is like looking through the highly reflective yet transparent glass of a two-way mirror. We can gaze through into a different world, or a different view of things, and we can also see something of ourselves, as we shift our vision from within the book to within our soul.
I am convinced by my own experience, and the countless testimonies of multitudes, that reading the greatest of books can serve in a powerful way to provide us with lofty things to think and talk about with each other. No doubt, the reason some impoverished souls run around busying themselves with the superficial and trivial side of life is because they are not feeding their minds with anything greater. Their lives are so thin that, instead of reflecting inwardly, they direct their attention entirely outwardly, and gawk at anything that seems to glitter.
I am equally confident that good people, reading good books in the right spirit can contribute to a more general living of the good life, and can assist us in making our contribution to the good society. Books can deepen us and they can broaden us. They can give us clues into the darkest recesses, and highest potential, of human behavior. And they can suggest new ways of living and working together that can improve the quality of our daily experience right away.
After even a few minutes of reflecting on the importance of books in our lives, and then writing a short essay in praise of reading like this, I just want to go, grab a book off the shelf, sit in my recliner, turn on the reading lamp, and depart for a while. After a bit of reflection in your own heart, you may want to go pay a visit to your local bookstore, thank the owner for what they make available, or find that old library card and go use it. You also might be moved to feel a bit of gratitude that you have both the power and opportunity to read words that can bring pleasure and also expand the human soul.
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