Nothing really beats the feeling of a cold morning and a warm cup of tea, a book in hand, and an awesome view; all of that to hop into a fantasy world led by imagination. We all enjoy reading fiction. Getting to know the characters in a book, get driven by the suspense and drama in a world we could never imagine where words become dreams. It is surely enjoyable, but I say there is much more to read than just fiction; I’m not quite talking about reading an article on an online magazine, or simple non-fiction. I’m talking about journalism.
Journalism tends to take out the “fun” from reading. We do not get a fantasy world that we can picture; we do not get to meet awesome characters and fall in love with them. None of these things happen. However, we get to enrich our mind as we connect with the author; we read authentic words that were meant to be shared. Not to mention the huge amount of information we gain. Sure thing, some authors incorporate all that information and create a fiction piece composed with metaphors. But, if metaphors are not quite your thing (or you get tired of them after, say, five books) you might want to try journalism.
Before entering college, I did not quite enjoy reading. At all. I hated it. Despised it. Never in my life did I see myself grabbing a book, sitting down and read it in one stand; but I have done so already. While I have not read enough books to consider myself an expert reader, I have read enough variety to be able to compare fiction work against journalism. While I agree both possess great content, I became aware not many people read journalism, which, unlike fiction, contains an immense amount of useful information and perspectives towards today’s world. In most cases, however, you will end up reading ridiculous theories from authors that you have never heard about and cause you to question human sanity.
But that is the best part. That is what makes journalism worth reading.
You would travel through a person’s mind with extreme details and learn new perspectives about topics that perhaps you were already questioning; travel through the real world and meet real people. It teaches you about history and politics, love and war, psychology and philosophy, and life and death. But wait, these books I am reading already teach me all of that?
No, they quite do not.
See, the thing is these books speak mostly metaphors. While you are reading, you might feel related towards these phrases found on books, thus attempting to find a meaning in your context. Do not get me wrong; that is perfectly fine. I do it too, and enjoy doing so. In fact, I encourage you to do so. However, journalism offers the truth factor: true words being spoken by a true person that maybe, just maybe, will completely change your life.
