Reading is such a pleasure, especially books which leave us eager for the next page, inspiring us to read more.
I like physical books, to hold them in my hands.
I love book shops, and libraries. I take great interest in books on shelves in homes I visit.
In lockdown, books take me to places and people I cannot visit.
Encouragement and Inspiration
Books take me back into history, show me the world as it is, and the world as it can be.
Books inspire and encourage me, hold knowledge and new ideas, and help build my vocabulary.
The older I get the more I appreciate the wisdom of younger writers from around the world.
For example, Anne Frank’s timeless diary, imagining a new world as she took sanctuary from Nazi hostility during World War Two.
The stunning story of Malala Yousafzai standing up for the education of girls.
The reflections of young naturalists Greta Thunberg and Dara McAnulty, campaigning to save the planet.
And the inspirational Amanda Gorman reciting her poem at President Biden’s inauguration
imagining raising “a wounded world into a wondrous one”.
– Amanda Gorman
One young writer whose wisdom I value is my friend
Lucia Quinney Mee.
With four liver transplants between the age of eight and twenty-one, Lucia took part in Transplant Games, campaigned for organ donation, and started the Live Loudly Donate Proudly campaign.
Lucia died in 2020, just before her twenty-first birthday.
The ripples and rays of her life and light continue to inspire others to lift their voice to make the world a better place.
Lucia wrote much in blogs. I hope her collected writings can, one day, become a book.
It’s a book I want to read.
Hope
All these young writers long for a better world.
There are many other such younger writers out there.
I look forward to reading what is yet to be written.
Inderjit Bhogal, 4 March 2021
WANT TO FIND MORE FROM INDERJIT?
Pause For Thought is featured on BBC Radio 2. It is hosted on the OJ Borg programme at 2.30am (GMT). Inderjit contributes regular short reflections on various topics, often related to spirituality, philosophy and personal experiences. Inderjit provides a moment of reflection and contemplation offering you a brief pause. Here, Inderjit shares his insights and wisdom, to inspire you, encourage you, or provide a moment of reflection before you start the day.
