by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio
Dear Fiction Readers,
Last time we discussed the health benefits of reading fiction. If you missed that post, click here. Today we're going to talk about how fiction shapes our world.
Stories matter. Stories help to inform our understanding of our world and our culture. Indeed, some stories reflect our culture, while other stories anticipate a future culture.
Here are some ways in which fiction can shape our personal world:
1__Fiction can offer us new perspectives on old topics. It can help us to sort out moral and ethical issues and provide insight on how to solve the problems in our own lives.
2__Fiction can teach us about the human experience, thereby promoting empathy for the sufferings of our fellow man. Reading about a character's struggles is second-best to experiencing those struggles ourselves.
3__Fiction can relieve stress. People who read fiction tend to be more relaxed and capable of coping with tense situations. When people are more relaxed, they make better decisions, decisions that affect our world and our culture.
4__Fiction stimulates the mind. Readers of fiction show less mental decline in old age than do those who do not read fiction. When our minds are sharp, we are better equipped to view our world with logical clarity and act accordingly in solving societal problems.
5__Fiction makes people happy. Happy people are much less prone to hurting others through unkindness, abuse, and even violence, thereby creating a cooperative society in which each person is valued.
We may not realize it, but as we read a work of fiction, we are coming face-to-face with the author's worldview. Depending on our level of discernment, that author's worldview is impacting our life in some way.
If the author's worldview is aligned with truth, then the work of fiction we are reading will shape our lives for good. But if the author's worldview is not aligned with truth, then that work of fiction could lead us into deception.
Remember this: You become what you read. Choose to read fiction that will make you a better person. In so doing, you will contributing to shaping our world for good.
Now it's your turn. How has reading fiction shaped your world. Please share your comments in the comment box below.
Until next time, keep reading!
Before you leave, be sure to check out my Goodreads Giveaway. I will be giving away 100 e-book copies of my popular, award-winning novel, IN BLACK AND WHITE.
First Place Winner in Historical Fiction in the 2020 Christian Indie Awards Contest, this novel is the story of a white woman, a black man, and their forbidden love.
Summary:
Can endurance and faith sustain the love between a white woman and a black man threatened by rejection, guilt, and racioal injustice? Can love alone reconcile their starkly different worlds, lighting the way to a bright future together?
When graduate student Tori Pendola, a white American woman, and Jebuni Kalitsi, a Ghanaian exchange student and heir to his tribe's chieftaincy, fall deeply in love, they must face not only their own inner demons of rejection and guilt but also the demons of societal hatred bent on destroying their relationships. Will their love survive the cruel and bitter attacks against them? Or will hatred and prejudice gain the upper hand?
In Black and White is a deeply moving story about the power of God's love to restore all that is broken in our lives.
Here is the link to enter the Giveaway:
ENTER GOODREADS GIVEAWAY HERE!
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A young female auditor discovers convincing evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler.
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While the sale lasts, buy extra copies as gifts for those special fiction readers in your life.
FEATURED BOOK OF THE WEEK . . .
The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke (Christy Award Winner)
" . . . An illuminating tale of courage, sacrifice, and survival, about two couples whose lives are ravaged by Hitler’s mad war yet eventually redeemed through the fate of one little girl."
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I agree with all of the above points MaryAnn states for reading fiction. I'd also add when I read certain fiction books, they transport me to a new place, a new culture, a new & enriching experience I've not known before. Quite satisfying and delightful to my soul! Thank you, MaryAnn, for the enriching fiction you write for us, your readers!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insightful comment, Chris, and for your kind words about my stories. I am so glad they bless you!
DeleteMaryAnn