Why do we like reading?
And what do books actually do with us?
Perhaps time and our own reality play a role.
What has time to do with reading?
Time is defined as a causal sequence of events from the past through the present into the future.
Does it mean that nothing that has ever happened can be undone?
It seems so.
On the other hand, time is not the same for everyone.
For the universe, millions of years mean nothing; for the microcosm, atoms and their components,
fractions of a second are like eternity.
And for us humans?
Waiting for a fateful decision, for a beloved one or for redemption can also equal eternity.
Whether it's just a brief moment or a seeming eternity, we live with and through our actions
that are shaping and have shaped us.
This is the bleak reality that we have to deal with throughout our entire live.
The question of time is beautifully explained in one of the Brothers Grimm's
short stories, The Little Shepherd.
The king was asking a little boy how many seconds has the eternity and he answers as follows:
"In a distant land there is a mount, which measures one hour in height, one hour in width and
one hour in depth. A little bird flies there every hundred years and whets its beak on it.
When the whole mount is worn down by the little bird's action until it resembles the ground,
then the first second of eternity is over."
So, what should we do with our time, with our eternity?
The answer is in the power of our thought and imagination that books can give us.
Everything is possible there, time can be turned back, eternity is just the blink of an eye
and we don't have to fear the consequences of our deeds.
​
Thus, let's read!
