why read?

I'm been doing some thinking recently all the while reflecting on the different crisis happening around the world as well as in my own country, Malaysia.

Coming from a small town, life goes on quite slowly around here and naturally, we don't really feel the impact of the different events going on around the country. This can be both a good thing and/or a bad thing. The good thing is, people are not easily affected by the recent events around the country and have their thoughts swayed to any extreme ends of things. However, the unfortunate thing about this is that people can also be incredibly ignorant about how things are going on around the country.

It's amazing how people would argue with each other over some issue written in the local newspaper for argument's sake without knowing the truth behind things in the first place. There is an old saying in Chinese that reminds people to 'think with their brains before they speak'. So, how are you going to think about what you're going to say if you are ignorant about the true facts behind the different issues on hand? The obvious answer would be to get oneself enlightened about the truths behind these issues but WHERE can one find the answers?

The answer, my friend, is in reading. As what Uncle Kok Hwee has said recently, "Reading can open up a person's mind" and I agree with him 100% beyond reasonable doubt. Personally, I would suggest reading anything that you can get your hands on, barring love novels because those things drive me crazy. From independent news website to that huge old encyclopedia sitting at the bottom of the bookshelf. Just grab something and read.

I'm now on a 6 month break and very soon I'll be getting my hands on a couple of books from Uncle Kok Hwee to read during the break because frankly, I don't know everything and I hope I can increase not only my knowledge but also open up my mind to understand different ideas.

Hmm... this will be interesting.