Personally,
I really enjoy reading. Whether
the topic is
within my core interests
or something that I want to learn about, reading provides an escape
that I find
very fulfilling. I
also find that a good
book aligns my consciousness with the mind and soul of the author.
With
that said, I advocate reading
books and believe that books
are generally preferential to other forms of mind feeding (like TV,
magazines
and the internet). The
other forms
have their place, and I'm certainly not against them altogether. In fact, when used
properly, they also
provide a beneficial service. The
problem with TV and magazines is that they’re highly focused
on selling
advertisements. Advertisements
aren't all bad, but they have a way of making a person feel a
sense of
lack. This sense of
lack feeds a great
deal of societal problems.
Along
the lines of saving money on credit cards and
gasoline, there is another easy way to save money on books. The answer is quite simple
– get books from
the library. I am
fortunate to have several
good libraries around my town and can
almost
always get whatever I'm looking for.
Interestingly, I notice that when I’m at the
library, I also pick up one
or two other compelling reads that seem to be calling me.
In
addition to helping you save
money, a town library builds the community and provides a sense of
sharing. A
single copy of a book borrowed from the library can be used to serve
many
people. On the
other hand, a purchased
book generally only helps one person (unless that person lends the book
to a
friend or family member).
I save a lot of the money by using the library and always donate a portion back each year. This helps fund the library (keeping new books coming in). The donation makes me feel like I am contributing to a good, tangible cause. I always find it fulfilling to donate to foundations, charities or agencies that have positively impacted my life. This keeps the donation and effect visible to me.
One
other excellent byproduct of the
library is that it also
reduces waste. If
50 people share a copy
of a book over the course of 2 years, that is 50 less books wasting
away on
people’s bookshelves at home.
I personally
hate clutter and know that used books would just create more clutter
around my
apartment. In time,
I would start to feel suffocated
by them and start to wonder how I could unload them. Of course, the answer
would be obvious –
donate them to the library.
A
good library is more than books. It
is also a place for movies and music.
The sharing concept extends well to movies,
but not so well, in my opinion, to music.
It works well for music exposure, but not music ownership. For movies, on the other
hand, the library provides
similar benefits to that of books.
If I really come upon a book that I think I need to own, I will certainly do so. I am more likely to make a purchase when a book has made a positive impact on my life or when I know I am supporting a struggling author or worthy cause.
Hopefully you too are enjoying the benefits of your local library.