'The spiritual growth of the intellect is really exalting!'

This morning at 04.49 sharp, I had a lovely message waiting for me, from a lovely, vibrant reading soul!

I was so thrilled and elated beyond measure to read through the message!

It reads thus – (just excerpts for y'all!)

The Myriad Joys of Reading!

Every morning when I wake up, I pray. But nowadays a little differently, I started reading books immediately after my prayer… I have never felt so happy ever before in my life! I feel elevated, calm, rejuvenated, happy… As if I have just planted a thousand trees in my garden. I could better relate Indian writers like Sri Sri and Muktibodh with Hoggart, Althusser, and Stuart Hall. My mind dances between spirituality of the mind and the soul. I have become much clearer than ever before!

The spiritual growth of the intellect is really exalting. I can never describe in words my everyday experience. It’s been a real enlightening journey into books and reading, that makes me feel blissful and blessed.

Indeed, this is exactly what reading does to our body, our mind and our soul! Ain’t it?

Well, bibliophiles down the ages have given us raving quotes on the impact of reading on our psyche! There have been books by the dozen that speak about the power of books in all their grandeur!

Me thought of giving y’all some nuggets from two lovable unputdownable reads, that so beautifully bring out the power innate within a good book!

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is the first amazing testament to this credo!

This dystopian novel envisions a futuristic American society in which books are outlawed! Hence, squadrons of firemen have been employed to do away with them, by burning them, if and when they are found in the possession of anyone, anywhere, anytime! Moreover, anyone caught with a book also suffered the ignominy of being immediately arrested and put on trial!

Written way way back in 1953, the book is a brilliant yet shocking critique of a dystopian world in which ‘independent thinking’ and ‘enlightened questioning’ are considered taboo and anathema to society’s ‘interests’! Also, because books and the ideas contained within them enable a person to exercise independent, sane and rational judgments, they were conveniently considered ‘detrimental’ to the interests of the State and its agenda!

But to Bradbury, books are the most sacred of objects, as they are transmitters of stories! Hence, by burning books, the ruling dispensation in this dystopian American society, has curtailed the freedom of expression and thereby stifled the human spirit itself!

Interestingly, one of the firemen, by name Guy Montag, finds out the fact for himself that story telling has the wonderful power of binding people into a community of their own!

So he discreetly sets out on a secretive mission of collecting and preserving books, despite knowing full well that books are outlawed in his society, and that his profession especially, forbade him to do so!

One particular screenshot of a scene from this dystopian read would real suffice to tell us about the inherent dangers of censorship, and thought control, where people caught having or reading books are immediately imprisoned, no questions asked!

Guy Montag while journeying in the subway one particular afternoon, finds it really difficult to remember the episode of Sermon on the Mount, as books were forbidden in the land. The train car is lit up all over with a foot-tapping advertisement for a particular brand of a toothpaste! Guy Montag finds out, to his shock that the passengers on board are busy singing along to the tune of the commercial and tapping away happily to the rhythms of its beat!

Montag loses his cool and shouts at them, asking them to “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” much to the shock and surprise of all of them journeying in the crowded train car. Some in the crowd even feel that he has gone insane when he shouts at them! Such is the manner, such is the way in which an ‘enlightened individual’ is stifled in a ‘herd-mentality’ society, Bradbury quips!

No spoilers for y’all! Do grab a copy for yourself from any of the e-marts! You will sure cherish reading through it, I bet!

Now Guy Montag realizes full well his onerous duty! Having become quite disenchanted with his work of burning books and destroying knowledge, he finally decides to put down his papers! So he resigns his job and commit himself full-time to guarding and preserving the precious knowledge that is splashed across the delightful pages of the hallowed books, thus doing his noble part towards the safeguarding of the literature, the culture, and the community bonding of his society!

In this regard, it would be so apt to do an interesting connect with Emerson’s much popular text titled, “American Scholar” which was originally an address delivered at Harvard University.

“The American Scholar” moots the idea of “Man Thinking.”

Emerson prioritizes the idea of “Man Thinking” because he quite feels that, today’s ideas and ideals of an education have moved far away from this ennobling idea!

Students just do their ablest might and mettle at rote learning, learning 'by-heart,' lesson summaries, formulas and concepts, without applying their mind and thought to what they really do! Assumes all the more importance as Emerson was addressing a University gathering, at Harvard!

To Emerson, all human beings have the innate power within them to achieve the highest state of intellect because Nature and the world’s writings are available to all. To Emerson, then, one’s vital education comes from three main Sources: Nature, Books, and Action.

The scholar's education, then, according to Emerson, consists of three majorly influences –

1. Nature as the most important influence on the mind

2. The Past manifest in Books

3. Action and its relation to experience

Once a scholar is thus educated, Emerson strongly feels that, this enlightened scholar has the noble duty of sustaining his education, and making his education move forward, by disseminating it for the larger interests of his/her community.

Proper education, thus acquired through the three cardinal sources of Nature, Books, and Action—must flow from each person like an electrical charge, sending currents to every individual!

So much for the power of books in ennobling our minds, enlightening our hearts and enchanting our souls!

This, in a nutshell, is the exact super-power and sway of books over us all! Now if you could please re-read the message from this passionate, vibrant reading soul, you would understand the intense joy there is to reading!

And yesss! Why wait? Join a host of such passionate, vibrant reading souls, in kindling the 'thinking being' within you! 

Carpe diem! Pull up a lovely book rightaway! Start reading through it! Become a ‘Human Thinking’ straightaway!

images: amazondotcom & blogger's