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Books that you like

Posted June. 24, 2019 07:28,   

Updated June. 24, 2019 07:28

한국어

“Let’s try not to remind the saying that reading books will deepen your thought. Reading is not about whether it brings about certain effect. Rather, I think that meeting an important book or undisputedly the best one to yourself during your childhood is more significant,” Hayao Miyazaki said in his book “The Door to Books.”

When I read what the Japanese animator and filmmaker said, I smiled. I had been thinking the same way, and felt like I met an ally. Knowledge and thinking skills are one thing, and sympathy and considerateness for other people are quite another. People all know this, but they often overlook it in reality. We realize it is all the more true when recalling cultural leaders and celebrities who were disgraced in the wake of the Me Too movement last year. They would have read countless books.

On the other hand, a friend of mine does not read even a single book yearly, but judging from how considerate he is in thinking and behaviors, he is truly a good person deep down in mind. He has warmth in himself that has nothing to do with elegant cultural knowledge, but touches the heart of others.

The old saying “You can find your way (answer) in the book” is often mentioned when we address the effect of book reading, but only when you actually take the path, then will you be able to find whether this saying complies with you or not. If you actually walk through the path, you sometimes come to realize what the author had intended is completely different from what I understood originally. You can also get disappointed to find the author’s life is different from his or her belief and thought. If someone who wrote a great book behaves badly, it would be better and wiser to accept only part of the contents or messages in the book. Regardless of whether you read good books or not, you should determine your life based on your own standard.

Hence, if I have to recommend a child to read books, I will likely guide the child to read “the book that you like,” or the book that is compatible with the child’s situation and character: A book that is valuable, and that makes the child to be clearly what he or she is, rather than a book that is simply great. I had one such book. The book taught me the beauty of language, and become a singer who values lyrics. A child should not necessarily have to become a great person. It is okay to grow the way the child would like to.