I remember a few years back the academics were getting worried that reading would become extinct though the World Literacy rate was increasing steadily and surely. So, one may wonder what is this paradox. What they were referring to was the literary reading, which refers to the reading of novels, short stories, poetry, or drama in any print format, including the Internet, including romance novels to classical poetry. In the earlier era books were the only source of information and the power to be found between in a book was considered immutable and unassailable. One and all were exhorted to read in order to lead.
Modern gadgets like TV, computer, mobile phones and tablets were so seductive that the habit of reading began to decrease in the society - both among the young and the old. The newspaper was replaced by the television and later by the e-paper.
A survey of literary reading by the U. S. National Endowment for Arts revealed that over the past 20 year there has been a dramatic drop in the percentage of Americans reading literature. Hoori Noorani of Maktaba-i-Danyal opined in an interview published in Herald’s July 2011 edition, that bookselling was no longer regarded as a profitable business in Pakistan since people were no more interested in the habit of reading for recreation and pleasure across the country.
Then in 2020, the COVID happened and we were all house bound so most of us turned to the audio-visual media for time pass but its seduction soon became jaded. eBooks started appearing very easily and we became enamored again with reading as there was a flood of easily accessible eBooks. Every publishing house was ready to let you have free access to books published by them and they also encouraged new writers to publish their books so now we have a mountain of books available to be read by one and all. We now have more reading material than ever before and that too at the click of the mouse. In this context I was struck by what Rawan Al Sharif said “Read books that nourish your mind.” That set me thinking about the similarity between food and books.
We eat to nourish our body and we read to nourish our mind.
During infancy, babies are fed on milk and gradually weaned to solid foods. Similarly picture books with primary colors are presented to children and gradually the kids are weaned to primers and slowly they begin to read whatever is given to them. Just as we eat whatever our mothers or caretakers give us so also children start reading whatever is given to them. As babies we did not worry whether the food was too much or too less, whether it was tasty, sweet or salty. The food is just gulped down though some children may attempt to spit out food or refuse to eat but mothers generally manage to make them eat what has been cooked at home. Similarly, children in kindergarten just read what is given to them. Many parents nowadays have realized the importance of reading and introduce books from the time the child can sit up but this is restricted to homes where the parents are educated and it is still in the minority. For most children, reading starts at school and is very simple and easy to digest. Text books are like staple food and just consumed without much thought though there are children who relish them too.
Some are lucky to have more than the staple food so also some of are blessed to have a variety material to read. As we enter the middle and High School, most students encounter what is known as a non-detailed text, which is prescribed to inculcate the reading habit but sometimes it may not do so. I remember that Carlyle’s Essays was prescribed as non-detailed text for our first year Degree General English Course and I think half my classmates never read it. Some of us are lucky to have a wide variety of reading material ranging from Newspapers to classics while some have no books to read except their text books. Some develop an aversion for books while some turn into voracious readers. Luckily greed for books does not harm as does greed for food.
Books are like food - some books are like healthy foods while others are like junk food. Some books help us to grow a healthy mind just as some foods like dhals, nuts, eggs and others help to grow our body. Some books help to energize us just as do energy-yielding foods like rice, wheat and so on. Other books protect us by enhancing our mental health just as do protective foods like fruits and vegetables. Some books are therapeutic like the herbs in our food which performs its own magic. Some books endow us with sublime ecstasy just as do some soul foods. We should beware of books, which harm as surely as do junk food, since they can destroy our mind and soul.
This classification is however a little difficult to make since one man’s meat may be another’s poison. The type of book you read as the type of food you eat depends upon your age, health, maturity, stage of life and your support system.
A ten-year-old reading a romance is definitely to be frowned upon while the same by an adolescent is acceptable. Hellen Keller’s ‘Story of My Life’ may inspire a child with health issues but will not be appreciated by a healthy person unless she or he is very mature and learns from it to help others. As Shankaracharya pointed out in Bhaja Govindam, it is futile to learn grammar at the end of your life. The books that you read may have a profound effect on you but unless you can discuss it with like-minded or mature people the message may be lost and may even lead you astray since it has been observed that books can inspire crime e.g. The Catcher on the Rye by Salinger is said to have inspired the murder of the famous singer John Lennon. Some categories of books are definitely unsuitable no matter what your condition may be.
Just as we should eat a variety of foods so also, we should read a variety of books. “It is childish to eat primarily or only to please your tongue.” So also, it is unwise to read one kind of book to the exclusion of others. It is recommended that one eats a minimum of 50 different kinds of foods while maintaining an optimal balance between them. So also, our choice of books should be varied with a right balance of different genre. Too much of one kind, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, self-help or others may be detrimental.
Read an eclectic mix of books to nourish your mind and soul!
