One of the reasons that I love reading so much is that an author can take you not just into a story, but into someone else's mind.
I have learned from reading that I can't know what someone else's intentions are. So often in fiction, a character does something, and their action is totally misinterpreted by another.
By the author taking me inside the character's head, I can see their motivation and intention. I can see their consternation when their action is seen as something other than what they intended.
I can sometimes say to myself, "Oh dear! That is not going to go over well". And then it doesn't. I have watched characters allow misunderstandings to grow and fester, when a simple conversation could solve things.
Reading has enhanced my ability to be compassionate. It has enhanced my understanding of how hopeful and fragile a species we humans are.
Reading has allowed me to meet people I will never have the chance to physically meet.
And once I have met them, I can never see them as anything but just another person, struggling to make the best life they can.
That is why I love to read. Why do you love to read?
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