Why fiction is important
Everyone will agree that reading is an important component in developing a successful life. It seems almost universal that the more successful you are, the more you read. But this focus on reading is one-dimensional. People get caught up in non-fiction— self-help books, business books, books on sales and marketing, health and psychology, and relationships. These are all valid books to spend your time reading. They are filled with information that can help you better in your career and life. But it’s a mistake to leave fiction in the dust.
Fiction is a forgotten gem and untapped well of knowledge and information. It has the power that no other form of communication does—the power to insert you fully and completely in someone else’s mind. When you read fiction, you are seeing the world through a character’s eyes. Good fiction runs deep into the kingdom of psychology and philosophy. It helps you to understand people’s perspective, gain experience, improve communicating, boost imagination and creativity, allow you to see the big picture and look at the world in an entirely different light. Fiction ultimately deals in truth. Remember that Hemingway quote –
“All good books have one thing in common—they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you read one of them you will feel that all that happened, happened to you and then it belongs to you forever, the happiness and unhappiness, good and evil, ecstasy and sorrow, the food, wine beds, people and the weather.”
Ernest Hemingway
Acknowledgment,
Not all fiction is valuable. But not all non-fiction books are valuable either. But a greater truth is fiction has endless potential to bring value to your life.
Next time you see someone reading fiction, don’t turn up your nose and sniff under your breath. Go read some yourself.
Everyone will agree that reading is an important component in developing a successful life. It seems almost universal that the more successful you are, the more you read. But this focus on reading is one-dimensional. People get caught up in non-fiction— self-help books, business books, books on sales and marketing, health and psychology, and relationships. These are all valid books to spend your time reading. They are filled with information that can help you better in your career and life. But it’s a mistake to leave fiction in the dust.
Fiction is a forgotten gem and untapped well of knowledge and information. It has the power that no other form of communication does—the power to insert you fully and completely in someone else’s mind. When you read fiction, you are seeing the world through a character’s eyes. Good fiction runs deep into the kingdom of psychology and philosophy. It helps you to understand people’s perspective, gain experience, improve communicating, boost imagination and creativity, allow you to see the big picture and look at the world in an entirely different light. Fiction ultimately deals in truth. Remember that Hemingway quote –
“All good books have one thing in common—they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you read one of them you will feel that all that happened, happened to you and then it belongs to you forever, the happiness and unhappiness, good and evil, ecstasy and sorrow, the food, wine beds, people and the weather.”
Ernest Hemingway
Acknowledgment,
Not all fiction is valuable. But not all non-fiction books are valuable either. But a greater truth is fiction has endless potential to bring value to your life.
Next time you see someone reading fiction, don’t turn up your nose and sniff under your breath. Go read some yourself.
Comments
Post a Comment