Do you remember your first love?
Do you like to remain in the present? Probably not, if you are a human.
What if your first love is made of pages, words and and a soul. Letters bound within a book create a whole world with people, dialogue and stories brought to life.
Do we need a loving partner to feel happy? To be surrounded by social situations and other people? Perhaps being happy within yourself, in isolation, is possible, and often, preferable.
Happiness is certainly beyond laughing and joie (joy) in a party or owning valuable things. It is more likely about a valuable moment, a quality time, a lighting feeling provided from the simplest things. As simple as your first book gift, such as one that inspired/changed you, or the one that made you smile in a bus or a metro (subway) while you were completely immersed in your own monde (world).
We usually say; you get lost within a book. However, what if you can find yourself instead. The impact of reading a book depends on your mood and mind set during that moment. I remember when I first read “l’alchimiste en français” (The alchemist in French) by Paolo Coelho, I was in high school and I just thought it was a casual book no more. Then, I read it one more time in English while at University, and I saw myself the main character seeking for a purpose in life. Obviously, the global pandemic is one of the most difficult times that humanity had gone through, and reading during lockdown seemed a challenging exercise for some and a relieving escape for others.
Nothing can prove reading benefits than science, as it is well known; this literary exercise boosts our brain and spirit to perform better, turning the reader more insightful. Moreover, a study has shown intrinsic benefits associated with shared reading on personal, emotional, and collective levels among others. Indeed, reading actually stimulates debate, builds connections, and can even be a kind of health therapy that helps healing from anxiety, personal, or social issues. Whether the book is a fiction or not, it promotes empathy and mind opening to understand life changes and learn how to deal with them.
I think that our impression on reading may depend on a significant memory that we personally care. Let me explain; I was surprised when my best friend studying French literature confessed to me how impressed she was when she saw me jumping out of surprise when I was given “Moby Dick” écrit (written) by Herman Melville. I reacted this way as the book was mentioned in my school book of English. I loved learning English and knew that I would love this book. Eventually, I hold a cuddling memory for every book that I have studied at school.
At the end, as social species we usually rely on each other, for cooperation, for socialisation and for joie (joy). However, books hold life lessons and core values to live among people in peace, tolerance, with less bias, and more understanding leading to a happier and loving mind set.
If you would like to try a new book, and immerse yourself in a new love try one our our Diglot books today. Our collection may surprise you.
This blog was written by Amel Makour, a biochemist graduate of Mouloud Mammeri University, Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. Amel’s languages are Berber, Arabic, French, and English. Find Amel on LinkedIn.
