HAVE you ever read a book that completely transported you to its world between pages? Such is the power of fiction. It transports you to a make-believe world. Some novels are so close to reality that they can influence our thoughts and beliefs.
I remember Coelho's book, "Veronika Decides to Die." It mainly talks about madness. After reading the book, it made me think, "Am I crazy?" Well, not clinically, but it made me explore the thought that maybe there is that speck of craziness in each of us. You need to read the book and know why Coelho has said, "Collective madness is called sanity." This quote calls for another topic.
Novels have that effect on us. It makes us face our demons and our fears.
Some books bring us to worlds of magic. Harry Potter, for instance. The book takes us to the magical world of wizards. It brings back memories of being young again, and I enjoyed reading it with my son. I even attempted to master some spells just for fun.
The effect of Potter and Friends on my son and former officemates, Kako and Dina, was different. When they met at the office, all three would talk in a British accent language and even play some spells like "Expecto Patronum" or "Petrificus Totalus." That's how fascinated they were by Harry Potter that they were practically living it.
Greek mythology may not be fiction in the strict definition of the word, but it also taught and guided us in our perspectives in life. Possibly because we've been reading it since our grade school days, and it's also being given as reading material even in our University years.
Our teachers were right in instilling in us the importance of reading. Little did we know they had prepared us well for one of life's hacks. Reading fiction is one way to destress. It relieves us of the overwhelming realities of the corporate world.
Who among us imagined ourselves as Helen of Troy? I don't think you've thought of yourself as Medusa, right? For the romantics, they wanted to be Athena. Men would love to be Zeus, Achilles, or Hector, to name a few. The Greek gods and goddesses were our literary superheroes.
Fictional stories in any form, novels or plays, will always introduce us to a world that is unknown yet interesting. It is like your wildest dreams unleashed right before your eyes, and you can't help but flip through the pages and wish it would never end.
The next thing you know, somebody's calling your name. And you thought it's still the story until someone shouts your name in your ear.
Boom, back to reality.
