Reading Changes Our View of Our Path Taken Throughout Our Life →

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I admire those that can quote favorite thoughts from favorite books, famous people, or scriptures. Even more so, I admire those that can remember most of what they have read. I find myself going back and rereading much of what I have already read, and when I do, it often feels like a whole new experience. Each reading brings something new to us.

Why would going back and re-reading bring new thoughts? This same question could be asked as to why you see things differently when you retell your life story. One answer to this question is a crucial point I used in my book: Why Life Stories Change: As you Look at your Own Life Story, You See Yourself Differently. When you re-read something or retell your life story, you see things through a lens that has added experiences to your view.

Abraham Lincoln said: “What I want to know is in books, and my best friend is the one who will get me a book I haven’t read.”

In Lincoln’s quote, he expresses his interest in finding something new to read, but he often uses the books he has already read to make his points. Throughout his life, he frequently quoted scriptures to make his point. Perhaps he felt people would be less likely to question conclusions drawn from scriptures.

Louis L ’Amour was a prolific writer of Western Novels, but his book “Education of a Wandering Man” was his autobiography. Throughout the book, he talks about his life, and we can see that he had a lifelong habit of reading everything he could, and that, indeed, was his education. He tied the events of his life to the things he was then reading, and they combined to form his memoir.

A story from L’Amour’s book told of his life as a young man jumping on a moving train and living in hobo camps, but as part of the story, he recalled books he read while traveling the rails between cities.

Shakespeare’s writings contained over 500 references to the Bible. We could ask ourselves why he chose to do that. Was it an effort to influence his follower’s feelings, and he needed the authority of the quote? Was that the real reason for Lincoln’s similar use of scripture quotes? In both cases, it may have been that both men were readers and that the things quoted were the things that defined the outlook of these men.

Harold Bloom wrote a book titled “How to Read & Why.” He addresses the meaning of this title in his prologue titled “Why Read.” His answer was clear enough. He said it was because “It Matters.” Understanding if it matters to us can be determined by comparing what we read to our lives.

In the scriptures, Luke 10-26, Jesus Christ asked a profound question: "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? This was addressed to a man seeking direction in his life. “ The man was told to go and love the Lord and his neighbors, but the answer came from reading.