Literature Applied

     How reading good works makes us more effective

I am a writer. I am also a student.Being both, I am frequently asked how and in what ways Literature makes us better.How does it help us achieve better results in our home, workplace and community? What are the practical uses of reading a book? 

Let me begin with Shakespeare .In Macbeth, we hear Duncan, the King of Scotland , make this observation:

                             "  There is no art

                                To find the mind's construction in the face:

                                He was a gentleman on whom I built

                                An absolute trust."

These lines strike a most familiar chord for they draw our attention to the fact that appearances can be - and very frequently are - deceiving.How often have we repeated these very same sentiments in our lives? "I thought he was a good person." Or "Looking at him I would never have thought he'd do such a thing!"

Duncan's words reflect one of the greatest life lessons of life and living. If we heed the meaning of these words, we discover much about our world and ourselves.And we'll move forward, knowing how easily we can be duped and how we have to be ever vigilant.

          Mahatma Gandhi wrote:

                       - Because I am their leader I must follow them.

All of us know about leaders; some of us are leaders ourselves, others report to leaders or follow them. at one point or another, in some context, I think we are all called upon to display leadership skills. Gandhi states the most essential skill a good leader must possess and show is humility.Humility personified through example.This a rare quality, which few leaders in history have demonstrated - the capacity to follow the people they lead.

I'd like to highlight another critical practical use of literature: its ability to help us become better communicators.We live in an age given to everything instant.The world of social media (Facebook, Twitter) demands that we say what we want to say fast, quickly , briefly, and right now. and yet our human experience tells us that in doing this we sacrifice Truth  because it's hard to say what we experience quickly and briefly.Here is where Literature comes into play.

Literature provides a kind of shorthand for the transmission of feelings and thoughts. For example, when asked to define the term Literature itself, a tenth century Chinese General said:

                    -"Literature is heaven and hell trapped in a cage"

If you imagine for a moment, just how rich these words are , you will realize how we constantly borrow this phrase in response to difficult questions..."you know,I'm really trapped , my life seems to be both heaven and hell, but, like, trapped in a cage!"

Through literature, we not only learn how to read both between and beyond the lines , we also learn how to convey meanings better.And this is because the best literary writing is always metaphoric - a vast storehouse of human experience! Literature is our linguistic heritage and a powerful source which our schools and universities don't give much credence to.

Let me end as I began , with a few lines from the great poet/writer William Blake:

                                "I was angry with my friend:

                               I told my wrath, my wrath did end

                               It was angry with my foe;

                              I told it not, my wrath did grow"

 These lines are forceful in their simplicity and lyricism.They come from a poem entitled A Poison Tree.As our lives grow richer or poorer, depending on the quality of our many relationships, so the wisdom contained in these lines will help us charge and deepen our sense of how to manage said relationships.I challenge you to read Blake's poem.Understand its meaning, and you'll be changed.

Sending positive vibes your way

@khadija14