The truth about reading

Every once in awhile I pick up a book. It sounds simple, but when you think about it, sometimes it’s difficult to schedule in time for such simple things such as reading for pleasure, but there are some major benefits to reading. The things I love about just reading are that one, it allows you to travel to a completely different place, time, and even universe. Who doesn’t want to escape reality for a little while. Second, I find it really interesting that books expose you to a different language and way of thinking. After I read, the way I think and even the way I speak can sometimes morph into the book I’ve been amerced in. Especially phrases of speech the main character uses a lot. Finally, the last thing I love about reading is, it’s timeless. There’s something magical about things in our culture that endure. To pick up a book and read for the pleasure of reading, is the same thing people have been doing for ages. It’s a timeless equalizer. A reminder that we still have something in common with the past. And do people ever really change?

Purpose

Have you ever sat back and wondered why things are the way they are. If you believe in a God, then you believe there is a devine overseer of all things. If thats true then there’s a reason for why things are the way they are. For me this brings about the question, why am I me? Why was born into a wonderful family with both a mom and dad in the picture. Why was I given everything I ever needed or wanted out of life, when there are so many people who don’t have these things. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve been so blessed that I wonder why me.

I think the important thing to remember is that in the end there has to be a reason. If you believe in a God and your blessed, then there is a reason your blessed. If you don’t believe in a God and life is hard, then that’s just random chance. In my mind. I think God blesses people for certain reasons, to fufill some purpose that only by having those “blessings” are we able to fufull. It is our job to figure out that purpose.

In the end, its designed for one person and one person alone.

Isn’t it nice to know, were special!

I had an interesting thought the other day that kind of blew my mind. Does anything physical really exist? Our minds gather information. Everything we see, we touch, taste, smell, is really just our mind telling us that it exists, but what is real then? The question itself if mind boggeling. Some would say that what we touch is physical, it is obviously physical which is why we can feel it. But isn’t it our brain that tells us we “feel” something. Do we actually feel it? If our mind told us something was soft when it was actually hard, our concept of what is hard would be associated with the word soft. Does anything actually exist outside our own consciousness? The same is true for those who are color blind. They may see some colors but their “blue” for instance is something compleatly different than someone else’s blue and yet they’ve always defined blue as the color in which they see. This brings about another question. How did we ever discover that their blue was different from someone else’s? Aren’t words just abstract expressions of the physical world…if there is a physical world at all…

Mind = blown

Useless tid-bits

I work at the library and I create these flyers to go in the bathroom called Literary Loos. Awesome thing to work on right, but nonetheless I find myself really enjoying creating them. In each monthly issue, there is a “did you know” column and over the years I’ve accumulated massive amounts of useless knowledge, so this week I thought I’d share three fun facts.

Do you know why the “x” is associated with a kiss? This dates way back to a time when most people were illiterate. To make documents official (such as a wedding license) people were asked to sign on the line next to the x. Because many couldn’t write there own name, to make the agreement binding they were instead asked to kiss the x. This is how the x became associated with a kiss. This is also where the phrase “sealed with a kiss” come from.

Number two, do you know why we feel so unified with someone we love? There is a deactivation in the parieto-temporo-occipital region of the brain, the part that shows a person their place in space. This place in space also separates us from others within our mind, making us individuals. But when were in love a deactivation of this part of the brain occurs and for a moment in time we feel as if we are unified with our love.

Finally, did you know that the phrase “to fly off the handle” (meaning to get really angry all of a sudden) comes from a time before they had machines to make products. Sometimes axes were not always mounted to their handles properly, thus when someone would swing the axe, it could fly off creating a dangerous situation with unpredictable results. The same is true when someone suddenly gets mad and this is where the phrase comes from.

Random tid-bits of information to feed your noggin! Hope you enjoyed!