Yesterday, in a leisurely scotch drinking session at my neighbors house, the conversation shifted to recent reads. Both husband and wife are avid readers, the former exclusively non-fiction, the latter mostly fiction. I asked him why he only read non-fiction, and he suggested that fiction was a waste of his time — he read to learn, not for “mere” entertainment. I used to think this way; I no longer do. If anything, my time spent reading fiction now exceeds time spent reading non-fiction. (Although, admittedly, I read less non-fiction now because in certain areas, I have achieved a semblance of expertise. Consequently, experimentation dominates my learning method.)
Obviously, fiction can inspire. Reading a good book with a plot that is relatable is not only entertaining, but often is motivating. Granting motivation, fiction can be a useful productivity tool. However, more importantly, fiction guides your personality. In the process of identifying with characters, fiction moves from a passive medium to an active one. You actively speculate as to what you would do in an identical situation and compare it against the character’s actions. The comparison is a process of judgement; it’s supervised learning, with a dead tree as the teacher.
Fiction allows you to be part of situations that are unlikely to happen otherwise. You can experience thousands of years worth of events by reading fiction. Yes, it is true that what happens to you in real-life — with it’s finality and incompariably richer stimulation – out-weighs that of a book. However, the course altering moments in life are infrequent. Fiction provides a means of accelerating your “personal growth.”
What follows is a list of characters that have become integrated as part of my self. I am not a summation of them; I have pieced together certain traits from them. Most of which were selected because I already had such a quality; many of which were selected because I found them admirable. (The later being more important.) Yes, my family, friends, and experiences have contributed more to who I am, but the following contributions were not negligible.
I am Morpheus.
I am Drago.
I am Lord Finkle-McGraw.
I am Hardin.
I am Francisco; I am Galt; I am Rearden.
I am Roark. I am Wynand.
I am Will Parry; I am Lord Asreil.
I am Ender.
I am Gray.
I am Guy Montag.
I am Mustapha Mond.
I am Simon.
I am Winston Smith.
I am Bruce Wayne.
I am Adrian Veidt; I am the Comedian.
I am the product of my parents, my friends, my life, my experiences…and my teachers.
books and movies are like mirrors, we can see ourselves… and our (small) point of view of our lives.