I recently stumbled upon a readers’ block. I had started a new job and it required me to travel three to three and half hours daily. On top of that the work there was really hectic and I only got one day off per week. And as anyone would expect, I spent that one day just sleeping and eating. But I missed books badly.
As a solution, I decided that I would read on my way to work. I found a small and thin book. Just to clarify, I absolutely love massive books which pull you into a different universe and take forever to complete. I am a fast reader, I can easily finish a book with three to four hundred pages in a day. Maybe that is why I love massive books. Because with them, I can stay in a virtual world longer, and boundaries between the real and virtual worlds become almost invisible. And the books with a whole series feel like heaven to me. But this time, it was neither comfortable nor practical to carry a massive book around while travelling. Thus, I had to compromise with a thin book. It was a substantially popular book so I had apprehensions that it may be overrated. But what disappointed me was not the book, it was the surroundings in which I had to read it.
The biggest roadblock in my journey was the need to transfer to different metro trains to reach my office. After every 30 minutes, I had to change Metro lines. So, as the flow started to buildup, boom I had to get off the train. And the book was so good.
The book was about a man who had beliefs and ideals as firm as a mountain. And he proudly showed off his righteousness like a war soldier shows off his honorary medals. He was described by the author as an easily irritable person, who just did not get why people are not productive enough, or right enough, and sometimes not just as smart as he was. He used to speak his mind and was not afraid to openly criticize someone who was in the wrong. And sometimes, he was less in touch with modern technologies, but he was smarter than all the stupid people building these things, atleast according to him. I do not get how I fell in love with such a boastful person. I have always been the type to believe that a person should atleast be polite regardless of the circumstances. But here this man was going around the world, fearlessly calling a spade a spade. He never hesitated to disagree with something he could not understand, but at the same time gave someone so much love despite never understanding them fully. I was so touched by this old man’s simple yet dazzling love story.
I think he was someone that I could never be. That is why whenever he pointed out the bitter truths of the world like it was a cakewalk, I felt hope. He would go around telling people the correct way to do things. He was so obsessed with doing everything according to the order, that he was never afraid to stop anyone and take out his time to teach them, or sometimes maybe he was too preachy. In the real world, we always think it is a waste to try changing everything that is wrong. But this man, in this fictitious world, was putting all his efforts to stay true to himself and to correctly do things. I think I fell in love because he was trying so hard to be true to his values. Because that is something I always aspire to do.
Another lesson I learnt from this book was to live. No matter how wasteful life may seem at this point, it all changes with the right set of people. We just have to hold our ground till we find them. And sometimes, maybe, just socialize. This Human world is not as bad as it seems maybe. Ahh, I read one book and I get so hopeful. As they always say being optimistic is good but being overly optimistic is like being a fool. But what can I do, I always feel so happy in this tiny bubble of mine that I want to stay here as long as I can.
Librocubicularist soul 