Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I grew up in a home where both my parents encouraged me and Aravind to read more. During the summer, I remember Dad taking us to Higgin Bothams bookstore and always got us books as gifts. 

I am a strong believer in reading, and whenever I can, I am front and center on the importance of reading. I am glad to have had a part in improving the lives of those under my leadership.

I had never considered all the benefits of reading-like the fact that it's a safeguard against old age, or that it makes you the most interesting person at the dinner table. Reading makes your mind sharp, alive, vibrant. It keeps you on the cutting edge. Like a healthy body, a healthy mind is honed like a razor.

Reading appears to be an act of self-satisfaction, but ultimately it is a selfless endeavor. When we read, we become more interesting people. We become team players in the game of life, people with whom others want to engage. Books fill our minds with ideas and information we can pass on to others. When we read, we become excited about reading, and we can't wait to share our current favorite or just get others excited about reading.

We have a responsibility not to let knowledge we gain from books be put on hold in our minds. If we don't learn from what others have passed onto us, and than pass on what we have learned to others, our system breaks down, just as it does on the basketball court. It's critical we not let that happen.

We  live in one of the greatest eras of communication known to man, yet nearly every day, somewhere in America, headlines spell out the news that reading, as a skill, is dying. I don't know about you, but the fact alarms me..and thats the reason I am writing the next set of articles..

In a world where few people read, the vast stores of knowledge found in books are either lost or reside with a select few. Is that the future, we want.

During my summer break in 1989, I remember reading a book called Fahrenheit 451. This was published back in the 50s, but the novel had an idea that one day  all the books be banned was startling.

Mark Twain is often quoted as observing, " A person who won't read as no advantage over one who can't read."

I hope to inspire you to improve your own reading habits and than pass that passion on to those you love before you leave this world. Books can take you places you'd never get to otherwise.

Let us examine those closely..