On how books can open your mind - Lisa Bu

Most of the books I read lately are books to satisfy my intellectual desire. Well, since they are mostly what could be called collections of world literature, some say it may not be so, but in fact there is no literary book as transnational as world literature, and at the same time, unlike social-science, pure-science, or applied-science books, literary books require a person to think once more and to consider the society and historical currents of that time, so I think they are positive in that one can spread out like spinning a spiderweb. (It's a bit different from non-literary books that lay out everything from A to Z. Individual effort is required.) In any case, the TED speaker tells the story of a very precious dream from her childhood of wanting to become an actor in Chinese opera. It was a very precious and valuable goal to her, but no one around her listened, so I can imagine how upset she must have been. She sent her story to a radio DJ and told her parents, but she says only her 'powerless friends' encouraged her. Telling of the regret of her childhood, that is.

And so she turned 15, and it was judged too late an age for her to receive training to become an actor, and she began to turn her eyes to books. Coming to the United States in '95 and beginning to learn English, she began 'comparative reading.' Rather than reading one book in only one language, she began reading the same book in two languages. At the same time, she also began reading similar kinds of books all at once. By doing so, she enabled a broader perspective and more diverse understanding, and stands where she is now, she says.

People say there is a path within books. But South Korea's average reading rate is still at the bottom of the OECD, and that fact is very hard to change. The fortunate thing is that I am not so at present, and I have the intention to read continuously and am doing so. Emphasizing that reading is needed for more diverse thinking and broader understanding, I close this piece.

P.S. There is a Korean script, so please refer to it.