As Henry David Thoreau said:
“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business. ”
Wise words. A resolution I make every year is to read more. I work very hard at keeping current and exploring books to expand my world, my views, and my dreams. Books can indeed take us to places we have never been. They can expose us to different perspectives, challenge our ingrained beliefs, and stretch our mental capacities. They teach us.
This year, I know we can each improve our lives and careers through reading. Not just reading those books and periodicals, blogs, and online news sources which are in our comfort zone; yet, those that fall outside our comfort zone. You know the ones we may have rolled our eyes at as recently as last year!
Each month, I recommend books in my Alignment Library, which is a good place to start to find interesting material. Or simply visit your local library, download a new Kindle/Nook book, or revisit a dusty book in your personal library.
As we enter this new year, regardless of where you find your reading material, think about what could happen if we resolved to read just one new book a month? What could we learn? What new conversations could we have? What new people could we meet by swimming in new waters? What revelations could we have and share? In homage to Thoreau, as readers of these books, we too, hold the responsibility as carriers of civilization.
“Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year.” Horace Mann