Here at Sammy's, we want to contribute to our common quest of becoming the best humans we can be and nurturing communities where all kinds can flourish together. We don't always get this right, unfortunately. But we can still move forward together - always adapting, growing, and beginning again.
We believe that reading and having access to books are vital to becoming better humans. Reading exposes us to stories that grow our imaginations, deepen capacities to listen and love, and help us consider the perspective of those different from us. Books help us become humans. This is why we're hosting a non-fiction book club every other month at Sammy's. We want to be part of that journey with YOU. Check our events page for the next "Becoming Better Humans" book club.
How do books help us become better humans? you might ask.
Reading cultivates wisdom (not merely accumulate information)
Books contain information, of course. It's possible to use a book only to mine out this information to compile trivial facts for their own sake. There's nothing wrong with reading for that purpose, and there's nothing wrong with reading books that primarily explain a topic rather than narrate a story.
But reading can take us beyond information alone into the cultivation of wisdom, which is necessary for our shared human quest. While information is about the raw data a person can store in their mind, wisdom is about the capacity to make decisions that lead to flourishing. Reading is a way to access the information that can anchor our ability to make wise decisions, but reading also exposes us to stories that expand our imagination for our shared human journey (more on that below).
The pursuit of wisdom is also a shared human project. We cannot pursue it alone. We need each other's voices, and reading is about joining a conversation. We can begin to understand what Robin Wall Kimmerer means when she says, "All flourishing is mutual." In fact, our first nonfiction book club explores Kimmerer's book The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.
Reading exposes us to stories and helps us understand our own stories
Humans have always told stories - stories about the way the world is, about why suffering exists, about what it means to do good, to live well, or to discern right from wrong. Stories do not merely entertain. Stories give us a sense of identity and purpose. The best stories are the ones that help us feel oriented, the way a compass helps us understand and then navigate a long journey.
Truly, humans are "storied" creatures with creatively interwoven lives, not merely individual units of consumption inside the industrial machine. Reading helps us remember this reality in a world where it's easy to forget.
Not only do we tell, listen to, or read stories, we carry stories around with us. They get stored in the imaginative center of our being and then animate the way we live, whether or not we consciously think about the stories we carry. This is why reading is so important: stories are like the fertilizer for the soil of our imagination. The more we read, the richer the soil is, and from that soil comes our capacity to consider what choices lead to human flourishing (wisdom, remember?).
When we read a good story or the right story at the right moment, something stirs deep within us. A spark is kindled within that imaginative part of our being, and we feel fresh insight into who we are, where we're headed with our lives, or what our purpose is within our community.
Reading exposes us to the voices and perspectives of others (and that's a good thing!)
Being human means being connected to other humans, which also means regularly facing the fact that others don't see or experience the world the same as we do. Sometimes encountering differences in others can feel unsettling or threatening. There are even social forces that nurture the fear of difference and encourage uniformity, limiting exposure to difference and sometimes silencing voices perceived as different from "us."
What if exposure to different voices, perspectives, and ways of life is not something to be feared but rather a central avenue for growth and flourishing? That means reading (a wide variety of authors, perspectives, and even genres) can be an important way to get outside our little echo chambers. As we read, we begin to see the world outside us as a gift to be discovered and shared.
Reading helps us see that we can be curious about differences, rather than judgmental. Stories in particular can put us inside someone else's shoes. We are able to see the world through their eyes. This expands our ability to calibrate empathy and compassion, not only toward others but even toward ourselves.
Reading is about joy
If all of that seems like a lot of work, let's not forget that reading for its own sake is simply a source of joy, and joy is in the lifeblood of human flourishing. The experience of joy ignites, perhaps, the most human parts of our being. When we experience the joy that comes with reading, it's like our humanity comes alive. Maybe that's part of the invisible thread that binds together book lovers - the experience of joy.
The thing about this kind of joy is that it's not just a fluffy feeling. Joy is resistance. It is resistance to all the forces that dehumanize us. That's why reading books, even the "silliest" of books, can be an act of resistance and why authoritarian regimes want so badly to control books and reading.
Joy is radical in a world that feels like it's coming unraveled, not because it helps us put our head in the sand or knit while Rome burns. Joy ignites our own sense of humanity and also exposes us to the joy of others (see above). When we read, we become joyful co-conspirators in this quest for becoming better humans.
