How Reading Saved my Life

Summary

The author describes how reading, particularly starting with George Orwell's "1984," helped them overcome a period of personal turmoil by reactivating their imagination and right hemisphere of the brain, leading to a transformative improvement in mental and spiritual health.

Abstract

The article titled "How Reading Saved my Life" is a personal testament to the power of books in transforming one's life. The author recounts their descent into a cycle of negativity, anxiety, and self-doubt, which they liken to a "Hell" of their own making. The turning point came in 2018 when they picked up "1984" by George Orwell, an act that initially required effort to break away from passive entertainment and engage actively with the text. As they read, the author experienced a reawakening of their imaginative faculties, which they attribute to the stimulation of the right hemisphere of the brain—the center for creativity and imagination. They argue that the modern world's excessive consumption of media has stifled personal reflection and imagination, contributing to widespread mental health issues. Reading, by contrast, is presented as a means to reconnect with one's heart and spirit, with the author citing the Quran's first revealed word, "Iqra"—Read, as evidence of reading's profound significance. The author encourages a daily reading habit, recommending Laini Taylor's "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" for its imaginative impact, and ultimately suggests that the Quran offers an unparalleled reading experience.

Opinions

The author believes that books can serve as a means to escape a cycle of negativity and self-doubt, effectively acting as a lifeline.
They assert that reading activates the right hemisphere of the brain, fostering creativity, artistry, and a connection to the heart and spirit.
The author suggests that the overconsumption of media and entertainment is detrimental to mental and spiritual health, as it usurps personal imagination and reflection.
They hold the view that reading is not just a pleasurable activity but a spiritual and mentally beneficial practice, as evidenced by the Quran's emphasis on reading.
The author recommends reading as a daily habit for mental well-being, with a personal goal of fifty pages a day and a recommendation for "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor.
They express a deep conviction that the Quran, with its command to read, offers a profound reading experience that can illuminate one's life.

A book is a device to light the imagination

Birds have wings, but we have books, and nothing feels truer than this statement as I lay pondering over my years of ignorance. Believe it or not, before my journey of reading, I persuaded myself that this life was hell; the “Hell”. Achieved through a cycle of fear, anxiety, and crippling negativity. I cannot believe my mind actually fell so miserably; like the snowball effect down a hill with no end.

I was lost. My being was imbalanced, and it would just keep on getting worse. This voice in my head kept telling me “you’re no good”, “your dreams are lies”, “you cannot do it"; and I would’ve succumbed to such deception had it not inspired me to open my first novel in 2018.

“1984" by George Orwell it was; and I must admit it was hard to get started, to pull away from the TV; to slow the racing cogs of my mind and just be present in every word. But after a few pages… a spark began flickering in the chasms of my heart. I imagined; feeling myself take back control in the garden of my mind. The weeds that had grown throughout years of negativity untangled and seep away. I discovered something in reading… and here’s the science behind it:

When you read, the words force you to use your imaginative mind. This process allows you to reclaim control of your right hemisphere; the part of the brain responsible for art, creativity, and imagination. It is the part connected to the heart, and in this light; the part connected to God. Why is there so much depression and anxiety in our generation? So many mental disorders? I’m sure a few are apparent in your mind already.

One reason for this — a major one — is that our right hemispheres are not our own. We do not reflect or imagine anymore, rather; the entertainment industry does a pretty good job for us. Think about your own mind now; how much of your imagination is from the TV; what is this doing to your mental and spiritual health? Now there is nothing wrong with entertainment, but the excess has gone too far. Moderation has become a thing of the past as the new world welcomes as much a person can consume in the fastest time possible. This was the fundamental reason for my destructive mind; my right hemisphere was blocked by the above so my heart could not fuel my imagination; like a brain surgeon opened the cap of my skull and just stuffed a never ending pile of junk through my brain, blocking the voice of my heart; and this is how the negativity flourished; it was because my heart could not fight back like it can now.

Reading freed my mind; it fuels the pulsing star that is your heart until it explodes, spreading its spiritual light into every corner of your being; and now I understand as I lay here why the first word revealed in the Quran was the word Iqra — Read.

Fifty pages a day is my daily goal and I promise it becomes easy very soon. I recommend “Daughter of smoke and bone” by Laini Taylor; its currently blowing my imagination — seriously, there’s like dragons and magical kingdoms in my head — but nothing, nothing will blow your mind as much as the Qur’an will do:

“Read; in the name of thy Lord, who created. Created man from a clot of blood. Read; and thy Lord is most loving”

Quran, Surah Al-Alaq (The Clot)