Why read?

As we grow out of childhood, we are no longer satisfied with what we are offered by our parents and teachers. We become restless, curious, adventurous. Like wild animals, we no longer want to be fed – we want to hunt for ourselves. Entertainment, stimulation, knowledge, these are our prey. We will no longer be told what we like or what we need. We will decide what we want and we will learn how to find it.

As we learn to think for ourselves, we question what others are telling us. Much of what we want to know, to see, is found in words – words in books, in magazines and newspapers, on computers and on the worldwide web. But sometimes this knowledge is hidden, or disguised or distorted. We must decipher it, determine whether it is true or not.

And words are just marks on a surface; they have no meaning until somebody interprets them. And they will not give up their secrets to anyone. They wait for a reader. And when they are read, they come alive and share the writer’s thoughts and they can entertain us and educate us and sometimes they can even cast a spell. And the spell is different for each and every one of us.

And you have to read the words yourself to find out how they will affect you.