We are autonomous and we are free.

We have the choice to open up our minds and let them expand. I think the stupidest thing humans of this Earth can do is to close themselves to millions of possibilities and realities.

The cliché quote says when you read books it opens up your mind or that you expand your imagination with extensive possibilities and realities.

However, I think it is appropriate to begin like that– it is irrefutable that books do take you to another realm; of course not physically but mentally and emotionally.

Books do open another “world,” or however you want to call it; reality, perspective, experience or truth.

Books, like movies or music or any other kind of visual or auditory form of entertainment, can actually make you feel.

It could be, for example, manifested with that strong connection between the reader and the main character of the book or novel; when the character has to go through a series of obstacles in order to accomplish his or her purpose; just like movies or music– when a really filthy beat drops, giving you chills and making you feel all kinds of emotions.

I remember that I personally used to be a person who would not willingly pick up a book and read.

I would only read books because I had to for my English classes in High School. Low-key, I started liking it as a senior when I went through some Shakespeare; A Midsummer Night’s Dream which was pretty hard but with the help of my current teacher the messages came through.

It wasn’t until I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley that I really enjoyed reading.

This book made me go through what I mention in the beginning; it took me to its setting. I felt for the characters in the book.

After that, I have been reading way more– not as much as I would love to, but hey, now I pick up a book without having my teacher asking me if I read the chapter that was assigned for homework.

Let me put it in a metaphor: Books are like food– and when we read, we feed our minds, our knowledge and our imagination.

It is good to feed our minds with books; not necessarily novels, fiction, poetry and so on; but also academic books, these are the kind of books us college students read.

Reading these will give us the knowledge and skills to apply later on– not only academically or professionally, but personally.