Reading makes us smart

          This is a disclaimer: if you can’t read then you can’t read this blog. I believe with all my heart that reading is the key to success. It’s not that it’s the most important thing but it certainly helps. Jacque Demers, a former coach with the Hockey Montreal Canadians won the Stanley Cup. Yet, no one knew he could not read. I heard of a homeless man on the streets learned to read and championed an organization. You can win without but it’s probably easier being able to read.

            Demers led a life of manipulation and deceit as a coach. He asked others to read. He made others do all the reading tasks. It took a toll when he could not take the hiding anymore. He felt less of a person because he could not read. That is why he hid it. In reality he should have asked for help. There are tons of ways to learn to read without making it public. Yes, I suppose it could be embarrassing that you don’t read, but it’s never too late to learn. Here is why?

            As a boy, my mom read to us before bed many nights. I learned to lay my head down and dream about the stories she had read. My mom was a master at putting the book down at the right spot. It left us to wonder and dream of the ending to action, peril, and romance. It also inspired me to pick up the book and finish it. It inspired me to read. I am not a genius but I am smart. Why? I believe it’s because I read a lot. No, it’s not encyclopedias or dictionaries that I read. Writers research their stories. Reading stories beings out a new world of information and fantasy.

            I am currently reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is a massive book of 1396 pages written in around 1820. This book is soap opera and history all rolled into one. I have been entertained by the characters. I have also been schooled on the time they lived in and the war of 1812. One book has changed me. Personally, the Bible does the same thing. We have story and history all rolled into one. Far too often people reject a book because of its cover. The statement “Don’t judge a book by its cover is very true.”

            What does God have to say about reading? I feel that God talks about reading in a different way. Throughout the old testament people find the Bible hidden through the centuries. Jesus goes into the temple and unrolls the Bible scroll and reads it. Yes, even a poor carpenter’s son could read. Paul asks for the scriptures in jail. Moses wrote down and read the words of God on tablets. People communicate by reading and writing, even God. So, God might not point blank say “read” but he does because his main way to communicate with us is through his book.

            I dream way too much. However, I dream because of stories. I write because of writers. I love what they do for me. How often do people invite you into their space? Really, it’s not very often. In a book, we are invited into a person’s secret life. We see their thoughts and ways in the words they say. So, the Bible shows the heart of God. War and Peace gives me insight into Tolstoy. Stephan King comes out in his books (creepy). It might be the number one way to know someone by the stuff they say and write.

            Personally, that is how I read. I put the book down at the critical points. Then I ponder and dream of the outcome I don’t know. When I finally finish the book, I am happy, sad, excited, and disappointed. I feel that is the best way to enjoy a book. Don’t just read it. Dream about it and ponder it. The writer wants to impact you. Let them impact you by putting it down at certain spots. I try and read 12 books a year. I am a better writer because of writers. Tolstoy, Moses, Melvin, and H.G. Wells have nurtured my mind. King has twisted my mind.

            Read to learn. Read to laugh. Read for fun. In any case read. People who are easily manipulated don’t read. Reading makes you smarter and more confident. You learn right from wrong by reading. The truth is found in old writing and new writing. A post on Facebook is writing but read a ton to know good truth from bad truth. The Bible is a good example. These books and letters were gathered into the Bible by consistency and authenticity. Truth is found in the same ideas, the same, words, and the same outcomes. Reading is smart because it makes you smart. We are smart but the offering in a book make us smarter.

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