We are Not Alone by Barry Hughes

On my walk today I came across boxes and boxes of books. Sets of encyclopedias, bound copies of National Geographic and other reference-type tomes were out on the curb. Anyone who has been in my office, or in my little study at home, knows how hard it was for me to take this picture and keep walking. I love books. Old books. New books. Paperback and hard bound books. I can’t force myself to read on a screen and thus have never purchased an ebook. I like the heft and feel and smell of a book in my hand when I find time to leave my rather mundane life and live vicariously for a few hours through those whose experiences and world are quite different from my own. I have shelves of books and stacks of books next to shelves. It was, indeed, hard to not drive by later that day in my truck and load up the bed with these treasures.

C.S. Lewis writes, “We read to know we are not alone.” I feel the same way. That is the power of books in my life. When I read the Bible, I know that I am not alone in my longing for peace and my desire to connect with God in a life-changing way. I also know that I am not alone in my shortcomings and mistakes. I can more easily find myself in the larger human story as I read those ancient words.

When I read great poets like Mary Oliver or Emily Dickinson, I know that I am not alone in how I find wonder in the world or how I seek to know a life of love and purpose. I know that I am not alone in the search for the elusive “something more” that always seems to walk a few steps ahead of me on the path.

As unique as we each are, there are common desires and longings that we share with one another across all the boundaries of time and space, ideology and opinion. We are not alone in our struggles or in our joys. We share a common story and a common life on this common planet. Reading reminds me of this truth, both for my sake and the sake of others.

Peace.