Literature. You studied it in school. You had to read it and then write about it. You had to act out scenes of it or watch movies about it. Perhaps you have even seen movies based on great books. For some people, their relationship with good literature never makes it beyond graduation day. Oh, sure, they will read a few more books during college and maybe even start to enjoy it a little more, but once "the real world" hits very few people continue to buy and read books of real value.
Take a look at your bookshelves (if you have any). See what kinds of books you have collected over the years. Do you see any classic novels, any literature that has been highly praised? Do you have a volume of Steinbeck, Hawthorne, Dickens or Shakespeare? If not, you are definitely missing out. If your shelves are filled with too many how-to books or with the info on the latest fads, you may find that you read the book once and then have no reason to read it again. A benefit of filling your shelves with great literature is that you can read great books over and over and learn new things each time. You can discover greatly depth in the characterization or themes that good authors pen into literature.
Now, take a look at the things you have purchased in the past few months. How much of your valuable money has been spent on things that are fleeting? It is amazing how much money can be used on eating out at restaurants or buying expensive specialty coffee drinks. It is fine to spend money on those things, but you should think about spending at least a portion of your money on things of value that will last beyond the time it takes you to eat or drink them. Good literature is one of those valuable things you should buy.
Wonder why you should spend money on a book? For starters, books last forever. Once you buy it, you have it. You can purchase a great volume when you see it on sale and leave it on your shelves for years before you get around to actually reading it. When you pick it up to read it you will find it is still just like new.
Buying great literature is smart because it makes you smarter. You can purchase a book and then use it to develop parts of your mind that may have been left dormat for a while. Leisure time can be spent in an enjoyable way that is productive and beneficial as well.
So, the next time your money is burning a hole in your pocket and you just have to make a purchase, consider adding a piece or two of great literature to your collection.
