Reading and learning are synonymous with one another.
I developed my love for reading and learning as a child.
Unlike many other kids, I loved school. Right from the start, school was something I looked forward to and enjoyed.
I learned to read well when I was very young. How young? I have no idea. All I recall is that I tended to finish in-class assignments (and subsequently any homework assignments) early – so I got to read a bunch with the spare time I had.
By the time I was 9, I wrote my first 50-page, illustrated sci-fi book. Wildfire isn’t good by adult standards. But for a kid? I think it’s rather impressive.
Once I left formal schooling, I still considered myself a student. I’m always learning new things – frequently by choice.
To be fair, some lessons learned were circumstantial. But that’s life.
For years, I had the desire to read more. I’ve always believed that one of the best ways to learn is by reading. Especially topics that are well outside my ability to do anything with (like quantum mechanics, physics, and other sciences) and apply in any practical way.
Whether it’s for my general knowledge and understanding, research on a topic for a book, or even pleasure – reading and learning bring me a lot of joy and comfort.
How I started to read more
About a year and a half ago, following multiple failed attempts to read before bed, a new idea took hold.
What if I read first thing in the morning?
Thus, I developed a new routine. I got out of bed, took care of the needs of the cats, started the coffee – and sat down to read.
Most of my reading nowadays is off my Kindle. Sometimes I still read real books. But as I’ve been working to reduce how much stuff I have – eBooks don’t take up space.
When I read every day, I have 2 books I am reading at a time. One is fiction (usually sci-fi or fantasy), and the other is nonfiction.
Reading books akin to what I write teaches me things. New ideas for how to approach certain scenes and plots, ways to express my characters, ideas for plots I hadn’t previously considered – and, sometimes, what not to do. I’ve read my fair share of stuff that made me cringe because of bad storytelling choices, poor editing, and other issues.
Because of my love of learning, I read a wide range of nonfiction. The majority is about consciousness, mindfulness, life lessons, self-help, attitude, money consciousness, and the like. But I also enjoy reading books on science – physics, quantum mechanics, psychology, and the like.
I look forward to my morning read. In 2022. I read approximately 52 books (including 3 or 4 audiobooks).
I’m already continuing this habit in 2023.
Reading and learning are for everyone
For some people, reading and learning are not things they do actively.
Some people learn far better by experience. I know some people that learn better via audio or video than by reading. Yet, even unintentionally, reading and learning go hand in hand.
Even by reading celebrity gossip – you learn something. What do you learn? Whatever your celebrity of choice is doing, going through, or otherwise involved in.
To me, that’s not very useful. But for some people, it provides multiple topics of conversation they can use with friends and family.
I’ve long believed that so long as there is learning to be had, life expands. There are new experiences that can be had physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
There are always new things to learn out there that you can read about.
For example – as I was working on my Forgotten Fodder series outline, I decided I wanted to use exoplanets that scientists believe are out there, as well as the concept of the Alcubierre warp drive (if you’re not familiar with this, it’s a relatively plausible theory for faster-than-light travel).
Google searches make for great reading when researching quotes, science, and other ideas. Some of this is great for blogs. Some of this has been great when I sought to understand something I was thinking about applying to a book (like maglev and battery technology).
Intentional or not, reading and learning are not opposites. They’re bonded like two hydrogen and an oxygen molecule bond to form water.
Why do reading and learning matter?
As Web3, the Metaverse, virtual reality (VR) and alternate reality (AR) options gain in availability and popularity, reading takes a backseat to the experiences these offer. Why read when you can enter a 3D domain and interact with the world around you?
Even if we move towards a more visual experience online – reading and learning will still be necessary. Sometimes it’s easier to read for yourself than to let someone else – real or virtual – read for you. I know that I gain more from things when I read them than when I let others read for me.
That’s not to say there isn’t a place for that. I love audiobooks. But because reading and learning are synonymous, it’s important that we continue to create new material – fiction and nonfiction – to expand the world around us.
Fiction opens the imagination, which in turn opens you to greater creativity. Nonfiction can have a similar effect. But it can also be a place to turn to learn new things both to do better at games of trivia and improve your life experience.
I love reading and learning equally. That’s part of why I write both fiction and nonfiction and share them with you. They matter because they’re an active part of growing and expanding the world and our place within it.
Thanks for reading. Did you learn anything new from my ramblings>
Be inspired to be your own creator, whatever form that takes.
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